ORDER PASSERES. 53 



flying is horizontal, but on the ground its position is perpen- 

 dicular. As they delight in being upon the edge of the water, 

 and often approach the washerwomen that are there, and seem 

 to imitate with their tails the beating of the linen, the French 

 have given them the name of lavandieres. They run lightly, 

 with very nimble steps, upon the strand, and their long legs 

 enable them even at times to enter the water to a small depth ; 

 but they are usually seen placed upon the stones and other 

 little elevations about it. 



The wagtail fixes its nest on the ground, under some roots, 

 or below the turf ; more frequently at the edge of waters, un- 

 der some hollow bank, in elevated piles of wood alongside 

 of rivers, and sometimes in heaps of stones. It is composed 

 of dried herbs, small roots, and moss, connected carelessly to- 

 gether, and it is furnished inside with horse-hair, and feathers 

 in abundance. The eggs are from four to six in number, of 

 a bluish white, spotted with brown. There are usually two 

 broods in the year. The male relieves the female during 

 some hours in the day from the labour of incubation. The 

 little ones are born covered with down. The father and mo- 

 ther defend them with much courage when they are approach- 

 ed. They meet the enemy, fly about to lead him to a dis- 

 tance, and often succeed in deceiving him by their manoeuvres. 

 If their young family is carried off, they fly about the head 

 of the ravisher, turn incessantly, and continually utter 

 piercing cries. It has been remarked that they attend very 

 scrupulously to their young, keeping the nest extremely neat, 

 and cleansing it carefully from all kinds of filth and ordure. 

 They fling these out, and even carry them to a certain dis- 

 tance. This last precaution seems to be the result of a differ- 

 ent instinct from that of mere cleanliness. It would seem 

 to be done rather with the view of removing every indication 

 of the proximity of their nest. Many other birds use a simi- 

 lar precaution, especially during the first ten or twelve days 

 after the birth of the young. They even carry off the egg- 



