208 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



but walk or run along the ground, and have the habit 

 of constantly wagging the tail. They feed upon in- 

 sects, which they catch both on the wing and from the 

 ground. The hind toe-nail in both Wagtails and 

 Pipits is greatly lengthened. 



Two of the commonest European species are the 

 Grey Wagtail and the White Wagtail, the former 

 being remarkable for its long tail. Both are beautiful 

 and delicately coloured little birds. The black throat 

 of the male Grey Wagtail is worn only during the 

 breeding season, being replaced by white in winter. 

 This bird is a lover of mountain streams, preferring 

 them to those that run through flat country. See Plate 

 11, Fig. 52. 



The White Wagtail in its summer dress may readily 

 be distinguished from its other common relative, the 

 Pied Wagtail, by the greater amount of white on the 

 sides of the neck, and by the beautiful pearl-grey of 

 the upper parts, that of the Pied species being black. 

 In winter they resemble each other rather closely; the 

 black back being grey at this time, although darker 

 than in the other species. See Plate 11, Fig. 53. 



The Yellow Wagtail is an extremely common bird 

 in many parts .of the British Islands. It is a species 

 which revels in wet meadows, and finds the company 

 of cattle attractive for the sake of the flies which they 

 stir up in the grass. The chin, throat, and under parts 

 of this bird are bright yellow, and a yellow stripe runs 

 over the eye. 



In some respects the Pipits are like the Larks, but 

 they are nevertheless probably not very closely related 

 to the Lark family. In colouration they are very 



