THE GRAY WAGTAIL. 



229 



" The pied "Wagtail of Europe {MotaciUa yarrelUl) is somewliat more robust in form, and 

 in its full summer dress lias the whole of the head, chest, and neck of a full, deep jet-black ; 

 while in tlie A\Tiite Wagtail {MotaciUa alba), at tlie same jjeriod, the throat and head alone 

 are of this color ; the back and the rest of the upper surface being of a light ash-gray. In 

 winter the two species more nearly assimilate in their coloring, and this circumstance has 

 doubtless been the cause of their being hitherto considered as identical ; the black back of 

 MotaciUa yarreUii being gray at this season, although never so light as MotaciUa alba. An 

 additional evidence of their being distinct (and which has doubtless contributed to the con- 

 fusion) is, that the female of our pied AVagtail never has the beak black as in the male ; this 

 part, even in summer, being dark gray, in which respect it closely resembles the other 

 species." Another distinction maybe found in the shape of the beak, which is broader in 

 the White than in the pied species. 



The White WagtaU is very common in France and the southern i^arts of Europe ; but, 

 although it may be found plentifully on the shores of Calais, the naiTow arm of the sea 

 appears to be a boundary wMch it seldom j)asses. 



It is an occasional straggler in North America, and is therefore embraced in the catalogue 

 of such birds. 



GRAY ^KQT:ML.-MolaciUa campestris ; and MEADOW nmT.-ArUhus pratenaia. 



The Gray Wagtail is a remarkably pretty and elegant example of this group of birds ; 

 its plumage being delicately marked with various soft colorings, its shape slender and grace- 

 tui, and its movements light and airy. 



This species is not quite so common as the pied Wagtail, and seems to migrate backwards 

 and forwards in Europe according to the temperature. Of the far northern regions it is a 



