PASSEEES (MOTACILLID^). 401 



leaving for the Continent in September and October. They 

 return in March — the males, as a rule, first. The " dishwasher," 

 as the pied wagtail is often called, frequents the banks of 

 streams and ponds, where it runs about jerking its tail up and 

 down and feeding upon all manner of insects. They may often 

 be seen following the plough, picking up with great dexterity 

 the insects turned up in the soil. Some remain in the south all 

 the year round. The nest is made in April, generally in a hole 

 in a bank or the hollow of a tree or wall, and is composed of dry 

 grass and dead leaves, lined with wool, hair, and feathers. 

 From four to six , greyish-white eggs speckled with brown are 

 laid in it, and very often we find the cuckoo's egg in the nest. 

 The plumage is variegated with black and white ; back, chin, 

 throat, and neck black, except a small part of the neck which 

 is white ; in winter the back is ashy-grey and the throat is 

 white. 



The White Wagtail {M. alba) is the Continental form of the 

 above species, from which it may be told in the shimmer by its 

 back being pearl-grey and the flanks grey instead of black. Its 

 food and habits are identical with the above, but it is not so 

 common. 



The Grey Wagtail {M. melanope) can be told by its yellow 

 tints. The head and back are grey, but the neck and breast 

 are yellow, and the throat is black. We find this species in the 

 south in winter ; but in summer it goes north, to make room, as 

 it were, for the other wagtails that migrate from the Continent. 

 It is chiefly found by rapid streams and rivers in mountainous 

 and hilly country in the north, only coming south in winter and 

 during migration. It builds its nest in banks by the sides of 

 streams and feeds upon aquatic insects. 



The Blue-headed Wagtail {M. flava) is the Continental form 

 of the grey wagtail, from which it can be told by the absence of 

 the black on the throat. It is especially found in the south, 

 south-west, and east of England. It seems to prefer flies, which 

 it takes quite close to animals which attract them. 



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