MOTACILLID^. 137 



dark lead-grey. In the autumn and winter both the 

 adult male and female have the back and rest of the 

 upper parts grey, and the throat and under parts 

 white, except a black crescent on the breast. The 

 young bird of the year has the head, neck, back and 

 scapulars grey ; cheeks and ear-coverts white, tinged 

 with grey ; chin and throat white ; sides of the neck 

 and breast dark grey, almost black; flanks grey; 

 primary and secondary quills smoke-grey ; the rest 

 of the plumage nearly the same as the adult. 



The egg is much about the size of that of the 

 Blackcap : the ground is white, and it is minutely 

 speckled all over, but mostly at the thick end, with 

 two shades of dark grey. 



GREY WAGTAIL, Motacilla boarula. This, the 

 handsomest of all our Wagtails, is by no means so 

 common in these parts as the last species : it is, 

 however, resident with us throughout the year, 

 although it is said by some authors to be migra- 

 tory, and probably is partially so, going to the more 

 northern counties in summer and to the southern in 

 winter. Its habits and manners are much the same 

 as those of the Pied Wagtail, except that it is de- 

 cidedly more aquatic, seldom leaving the neighbour- 

 hood of water. 



The food of the Grey Wagtail consists of in- 

 sects, flies, small water beetles and the small Mol- 

 lusca that may be found in its favourite watery 

 resorts. 



N 3 



