MOTACILLIN^E. 157 



brownish-white streak over the eye ; the hind parts of both 

 surfaces barred with dusky ; two transverse bands of white 

 dots on the wings. The female is considerably smaller, and 

 less brightly coloured, with more brown on the lower parts. 

 The young are destitute of the white spots on the wings. 

 Great differences in size and tint are observed. 



Male, 4J, 6, 1ft, ft, T \, if, A. Female, 4, 6J. 



The Wren is generally dispersed, and permanently resident. 

 It frequents stone walls, fragments of rocks, thickets of gorse, 

 hedge-banks, woods, and gardens. Its food consists of insects, 

 small seeds, and soft fruits ; its song, full, rich, and mellow, 

 is surprisingly loud ; its night rapid, even, and short. Although 

 not essentially a climber, it clings to perpendicular surfaces 

 sidewise, and is often seen on trees. The nest is enormously 

 large, roundish, or oblong, composed chiefly of moss, and lined 

 with feathers. The eggs are elongated oval, eight-twelfths 

 long, six-twelfths in breadth, pure white, with scattered dots 

 of light red. 



Wren. Kitty Wren. 



Motacilla Troglodytes, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 337. Sylvia 

 Troglodytes, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 233. Troglodytes vul- 

 garis, Id. Ibid. iii. 160. Anorthura Troglodytes, European 

 Wren, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, iii. 15. 



FAMILY XIX. MOTACILLIN^l. MOTACIL- 

 LINE BIRDS, OR WAGTAILS. 



The family of Motacillinee, which is variously allied to 

 the Sylviinse, Saxicolinse, and Alaudinse, is readily dis- 

 tinguished by its very elongated tail, and the peculiar 

 form of the wings, of which the inner secondaries are 

 pointed, and one of them as long as the outer primaries 

 when the wing is closed. They are of slender form, with 

 the neck rather short, and the head oblong. 



Bill of moderate length, straight, slender, rather broader 

 than high at the base, compressed beyond the nostrils ; 

 upper mandible with its dorsal line straight and a little 

 declinate, the notches slight or obsolete, the tip narrow, 

 slightly deflected ; lower mandible with the angle rather 

 long and narrow, the dorsal line ascending and nearly 



