290 WHITE WAGTAIL. 



feathers ; tail black, with outer feathers white ; bill 

 and legs black. Spring migrant. 



Eggs. — ^5-7, usually not to be distinguished from 

 those of the closely allied Pied Wagtail either in size, 

 colour, or markings. 



Nest. — Like that of the Pied Wagtail, and placed 

 in similar situations. 



The White Wagtail, a Continental form of our 

 common Pied Wagtail, occurs with us as a bird of 

 passage in spring and autumn. It is known to have 

 nested occasionally in this country, having even 

 paired with the Pied species, for which it is probably 

 often mistaken. Indeed, in form, gestures, habits, 

 and the general correspondence in the markings, these 

 birds could scarcely be distinguished, were it not for 

 the permanent even-gray back of the White species, 

 and the broader white margins to some of the wing- 

 feathers. In the Pied form the back of the male, 

 female, and young after the autumn moult is also 

 gray. In spring the back of the male Pied Wagtail 

 turns black, so that at that time head, nape, and back 

 are uniformly black. The back of the female, however, 

 does not turn black in spring, but the gray, itself of 

 a somewhat dingy cast, is irregularly smudged with 

 black. Spring therefore is the time when the White 

 Wagtail may be more easily distinguished from the 

 Pied species, for at all times of the year, in male or 

 female, the back of the White Wagtail is of a pure, 

 even gray. 



