THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. 69 



the same length as the primary quills. In this 

 character they resemble the Larks, as they do 

 also in their mode of running along the ground, 

 instead of proceeding by means of hops. The 

 eggs of both are very Lark-like in general appear- 

 ance, especially in the case of the Pipits, but 

 none of the Larks have the elegant motions of 

 the slenderly-built Pipits and Wagtails, all of 

 which keep up a vibration of the tail, when they 

 run, which is exceedingly graceful. Their flight 

 also is more of a " dip " through the air than is 

 the case with the Larks," whose flight is more 

 steady and sustained. 



As a rule, the Pipits and Wagtails are birds of 

 sober plumage, but some of the latter are rather 

 handsomely coloured, and of these the Blue- 

 headed Wagtail is certainly one of the most 

 striking. It has perhaps the largest range of any 

 of the Family to which it belongs, and is 

 particularly interesting to the student of the 

 geographical distribution of animals, as being an 

 example of " interrupted " habitat. Thus the 

 Blue-headed Wagtails which pass the summer in 

 Europe, apparently pass the winter in Africa. 

 Far to the eastward, the Blue-headed Wagtail is 



