108 BRITISH BIRDS 



differs in never coming about houses or breeding in their vicinity ; 

 and from the grey wagtail in not being restricted to the waterside. 

 In the fields it follows the plough, and in the pastures it is often 

 seen with the cattle, chasing the small twilight moths and other 

 insects driven from the grass. 



As the season advances it forsakes the cultivated lands and open 

 downs, and is more restricted to borders of streams, and to meadows 

 and pastures not far from water. The nest is placed on the ground 

 under the grass and herbage, and is formed of dry bents and fibrous 

 roots, and lined with hair. Four to six eggs are laid, mottled with 

 pale brown and olive on a French- white ground. 



Besides the three species described we have the white wagtail 

 (Motacilla alba!) as a rare visitor to the south of England and Ire- 

 land, and the blue-headed yellow wagtail (Motacilla flavd), an acci- 

 dental straggler to the southern, south-western, and eastern counties 

 of England. These two species breed throughout Europe, the first 

 being the continental form of our pied wagtail, which it closely 

 resembles ; and the second, of the yellow wagtail. 



Meadow- Pip it. 



Anthus pratensis. 



Hind claw longer than the toe, slightly curved. Upper parts ash 

 tinged with olive, the cenlre of each feather dark brown; under 

 parts dull buffy white, with numerous elongated spots of dull brown. 

 Length, five inches and three-quarters. 



To the uninformed the pipits are lesser larks ; they are lark-like 

 in figure, in their sober, mottled colouring, in habits, language, and, 

 to some extent, in the action which accompanies their song. But, 

 in spite of these outward resemblances, modern authorities have 

 removed them from the position they once occupied next to the 

 larks in classification, to place them by the side of the wagtails, 

 which are now supposed to be their nearest relations. And when 

 wagtails and pipits are seen running and flying about together, it 

 strikes us that there is among them a certain family resemblance ; 

 but we see, too, that the wagtails have diverged greatly, and are 

 much more graceful in figure, have longer tails, and a gayer plumage ; 

 they are also more aerial in habit, and warble a more varied strain. 

 From the fact that the numerous species of pipits are so much alike, 



