328 Passeres. BIRDS. Sylviid.i:. 
which is so well put together that, although it looks 
so slight and fragile that the weight of the parent bird 
would be thought capable of bringing it down, it will, 
with its contents, outride a gale that will bring the 
weightier nests of jays and thrushes to the ground. 
THE PIED WAGTAIL {Motacilla Yarrellii). — Fig. 
109, preceding page. — The Wagtails and Pipits with 
which we close the present family, form together a 
peculiar group which evidently approaches the Larks, 
in the conirostral family of the Finches. The charac- 
ters which chiefly indicate this analogy, consist in the 
great development of the hinder claw, and in the struc- 
ture of the wings, which have the tertiary quills much 
elongated and pointed. Both the Wagtails and the 
Pipits are for the most part terrestrial in their habits, 
and run upon the ground by the alternate motion of 
their feet. 
Tlie Pied Wagtail is a well-kno^vn British bird, 
usually found in the immediate vicinity of water, 
where its elegantly pied plumage and graceful move- 
ments render it a conspicuous ohj ect. On the margins 
of rivers and ponds, and in damp meadows, this beau- 
tiful little bird may constantly be seen running about, 
or flying from one spot to another with a graceful and 
buoyant flight, and accompanying every movement 
with a singular perpendicular wagging of the tail, a 
habit common to all the species and from which their 
popular name is derived. The food of this species, as 
of all the other W agtails, consists principally of insects, 
which it finds in abundance in the damp places fre- 
quented by it, where also small mollusca and worms 
occur freely, and doubtless form a portion of its diet. 
Frequently also the Wagtail may be seen wading in 
the shallowest parts of the water, and from an obser- 
vation made by Mr. Rayner of Uxbridge, it would 
appear that when thus engaged these birds are in pur- 
suit not only of aquatic insects, but also of fish. They 
will also capture insects on the wing, in the manner of 
the flycatchers, by flying up from the ground in pursuit 
of them as they pass along. 
In the southern counties of England this bird is a 
permanent resident. It is common in the summer in 
the north, and extends its range into Norway and 
Sweden, but does not occur in the more southern 
parts of the continent of Europe, where its place is 
taken by a nearly allied species. The nestis composed 
of moss, grass, and roots, and lined with hair and 
feathers. It is placed sometimes on the ground, some- 
times in a hole in a wall, a thatched roof, a hay rick or 
wood stack, or in some similar position. The eggs are 
four or five in number, white, with ash-coloured spots, 
and the birds appear to rear two broods in the season. 
THE WHITE WAGTAIL [Molacilla alba) with which 
the preceding species was formerly confounded, is an 
abundant bird all over the continent of Europe, but is 
only an occasional visitor to this country. The habits 
of the two birds seem to be very similar. The dis- 
tinctions between the two species according to Mr. 
Yarrell, are “that the beak of our Pied Wagtail is 
broader than that of the White Wagtail throughout its 
whole length from the point to the more dilated base ; 
and that while our pied bird changes on the back from 
ash-grey to black in the breeding season, the back of 
the white bird remains as light in colour as it is in 
winter.” 
THE GRAY WAGTAIL {Motacilla hoarula) is another 
abundant British species ; it performs a nearly total 
migration within the boundaries of our island, being a 
summer visitor to the northern counties, and a winter 
visitor to the southern ones. Its habits are similar to 
those of the Pied Wagtail, but it is even more aquatic, 
and feeds freely upon the common small fresh-water 
bivalves {Cyclas cornea), and probably upon other mol- 
lusca. It often runs upon the tdps of weeds in ditches. 
RAY’S WAGTAIL {Daclytes Rayi), unlike the pre- 
ceding species, is a summer visitor to this country, 
where it arrives about the end of March, taking its 
departure again in September. The plumage of its 
upper surface is pale olive, with the wings brown, and 
that of the lower surface bright yellow. In its habits 
it is less aquatic than any of the preceding Wagtails, 
hut frequents pastiu'es and cornfields in search of insects, 
not unfrequently attending sheep and cattle whilst 
grazing, and running about almost under their feet to 
pick up the insects and worms disturbed by their 
movements. ' The nest is placed on the ground. 
THE MEADOW PIPIT {Anthus pratensis), also known 
as the Titlark, is a permanent resident in Britain, 
and occurs all over the continent of Europe, in Northern 
Africa, and in Asia. It measures about six inches in 
length, is of a brown colour above, and whitish beneath, 
with the breast spotted with dark brown. Commons 
and waste lands are the favourite resort of this bird, 
where it seeks its food, consisting of insects, worms, 
and slugs, upon the ground, running along with great 
facility, and occasionally vibrating its tail in the manner 
of the Wagtails. The nest is built upon the ground 
amongst herbage, and usually contains from four to six 
eggs ; it is one of the favourite nests with the cuckoo 
for receiving her eggs. The song of the male is soft 
and musical, but short; it is usually uttered whilst 
hovering over the nest. . 
THE TREE PIPIT {Anthus arboreus), a summer 
visitor to Britain, is found only in the wooded parts of 
the southern counties. Like the preceding species, the 
Tree Pipit runs freely upon the ground, where it seeks 
its insect food, and constructs its nest ; but the male 
perches upon the branch of a tree or bush when 
engaged in singing. 
THE ROCK PIPIT {Anthus petrosus), a third common 
British species, is a permanent resident in our island, 
where it haunts every part of the sea-coast. In its 
geneiial habits it resembles the preceding species, seek- 
ing its food by running about upon the rvet beach, and 
carefully examining the sea-weed left by the retiring 
tide, in search of small Crustacea and other marine 
animals. Its nest is made upon the ground, or on the 
ledge of a rock, usually facing the sea. A fourth 
species, Richard’s Pipit {Anthus Richardi), has 
occasionally been met with in this country ; but it is 
very rare, not only liere, but also on the continent. 
THE COMMON INDIAN PIPIT {Anthus ntf ulus), and 
the INDIAN TREE PIPIT {A. agilis), are abundant 
birds in India during the cold season, probably migra- 
ting to the northward far the summer. The former 
resembles our Meadow Pipit in its habits ; the latter is 
