THE WHITE WAGTAIL 



specify them. A more useful purpose will be served in 

 devoting our allotted space to the points of distinction 

 between the two birds. 



The White Wagtail in breeding or summer plumage 

 may always be distinguished from the Pied Wagtail, 

 which it otherwise very closely resembles, by its slate- 

 grey, instead of black, back. In winter plumage the two 

 species are very much more alike in colour, but in the 

 Pied Wagtail the rump is always darker than that of the 

 White Wagtail, the latter having the upper tail-coverts 

 dark only. 



It is interesting to remark that the White Wagtail is 

 common enough just across the English Channel, in the 

 meadows near Calais, actually within sight of our island, 

 where, however, it is a rare and local species. The 

 two species have been known to interbreed, and in the 

 South Kensington Museum a nest from Norfolk is 

 exhibited, the male belonging to which is a White Wagtail 

 and the female a Pied Wagtail. Another instance has 

 been recorded from Suffolk. 



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