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ORD. III. GENUS X. WAGTAIL. 



Bill, ftraight, long, and flender. 



Nostrils, covered with briftles. 



Tongue, divided at the end. 



Legs, long and flender. 

 The diftinguifhing character of birds of this genus is a very long tail, and 

 very fhort wings fcarcely covering the rump. They are quick runners, and 

 the tail is always in motion, as it forms a balance to the fore part of the bird. 

 They feldom perch on trees. 



SPECIES I. PIED WAGTAIL. 



PI. 95 . 



Motacilla alba. Lin. Syji. I. p. 331. 

 La Lavandiere. Brif. Orn. III. p. 461. 



In this fpecies the bill is black : eyes dark brown : the chin, fore part of the 

 neck, and breaft, black : hind part of the head black : back of the neck, 

 ihoulder, and back, dark grey : forehead, round the eyes, and fides of the neck, 

 white : under part of the breaft, and belly, white : wing coverts dark grey, 

 tipped with white : quill feathers black, with their outer webs light grey : the 

 eight middle tail feathers black, the others white : legs long, flender, and black. 



This bird rarely makes its neft on the gound : generally it is built on a branch 

 clofe to the body of a tree, or under the tiling or covering of an out houfe or 

 fhed. It lays five eggs, frequents the fides of ponds and brooks, and feeds on 

 the lame of water infects and flies. See PI. XXII. Fig. 2. for the egg. 



