244 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Grey wagtail Yellow wagtail. 



pale edges; the secondaries, which are almost as 

 long as the greater quills, are white at the base, 

 and tipped with yellow on the outer edges; the 

 middle feathers of the tail are black, the outer 

 ones white, and the legs are yellowish brown. 



This elegant little bird frequents the same 

 places as the common wagtail, aud its food is 

 likewise similar to it. The female builds her 

 nest on the ground, and sometimes in the banks 

 of rivulets, laying from six to eight eggs, of a 

 dirty white, marked with yellow spots. 



The yellow wagtail, another species, is about 

 six inches and a half in length ; the bill is black ; 

 the eyes hazel ; the head, and all the upper parts 

 of the body are of an olive green; the lower 

 parts of a bright yellow, dashed w ith a few dark 

 spots on the breast and belly; the wing-coverts 

 are edged with pale yellow ; the quills are dusky; 

 the tail black, except the outer feathers, which 

 are white; the legs also black, and the hind claws 

 very long. 



Buffon observes, that this bird is seen very early 

 in the spring, in the meadows and fields, amongst 

 the green corn, where it frequently nestles. The 

 female lays about five eggs, of a pale lead colour, 

 with dusky spots irregularly dispersed. 



The generality of the wagtails take their de- 

 parture frpm us in the autumn. Some authors 

 say, they migrate into other climates about the 

 end of October; but they are known to change 

 their quarters as the winter approaches, from 



