87 
MOTACHLA. 
walk fearlefsly in the fifti-markets, where they find abun¬ 
dant nourilhment, as each dealer throws them fome offal; 
and thefe birds may be carefled and ftroked like dogs. 
There are even reptiles famiiiarifed iri this way; for at Su¬ 
rinam you may find in almoft every houle a ferpent or two 
of one particular fpecies, which take up their abode 
there, and are never difturbed, becaufe they do no hurt, 
but catch mice as nimbly as a cat. “ And who knows,” 
fays Vaillant, “ if man had never abufed the power which 
ftrength or cunning has given him; who knows, I fay, 
but all animals would have regarded him with love, or at 
leaft not have Ihunned him ? None has been more quali¬ 
fied to make obfervations upon this fubjedf than myfelf; 
for, in the midft of deferts where man has not yet efta- 
blilhed nor exercifed his pow'er, we may fairly judge of 
the nature of animals with refpedt to man. And I have 
always found, in wild uninhabited places, many animals 
not only eafy of approach, but which even come to meet 
us, and look at us; and I have feen many wild birds 
taken with the hand. But the cafe was foon altered, 
when they began to find the danger of fuch vifitors; it 
was then neceffary for us to move farther inland, and 
abufe the confidence of more inexperienced vidtims.” 
Of all the familiar birds, none equalled the prefent 
fpecies, which Vaillant and his Hottentots called vrintje, 
or little friend. The fame birds followed them during 
feveral ftages or encampments ; moving as they did, and 
refting when they relied. One pair in particular, re¬ 
mained ali the while that Vaillant was encamped on the 
banks of the Great River, which was a confiderable time, 
becaufe he made leveral excurfions while his tents and 
cattle remained there; and the fame couple followed him 
to his forlorn habitation, called Schsemacher, mentioned 
in his fecond voyage. Upon his quitting that place, they 
left him, it being the love-feafon, when they were im¬ 
pelled to build a nefi:, and provide for a new progeny. 
This fpecies, like the reft, is ever in motion, flapping 
its wings and wagging its tail. It rarely Hands upon the 
ground, and never remains there longer than is neceffary 
for picking up an infedt or a worm, which it efpies at a 
confiderable diftance, and darts upon from fome little 
rifing, or from a Ihrub, or from a ftone, or even from a 
piece of horfe-dung; for it feems to difdain touching the 
earth with its foot. The couple which accompanied 
Vaillant were generally perched on the end of the beam 
of one of his carts, or upon the axle-tree; but, when they 
had made a good meal, their favourite place was one upon 
each horn of a giraffe, the tkin of which was ftretched 
out upon a hurdle to dry. He could almoft at any time 
take the male in his hand and carefs it, but the female 
was more Ihy. Upon the whole, he is of opinion, that no 
animal would be more eafily tamed and domefticated. 
The male of this fpecies is about the fize of a fparrow; 
the female rather lefs. The fpecific character is, “ the 
ears, rump, and outer barbs of the lateral tail-quills, 
rufous.” The reft of the plumage is a delicate brown- 
grey, fiightly tinged with red, darker on the upper fur- 
face, breaft, and fides; fainter on the neck, and on the 
belly whitilh; the wing-quills and their coverts are dark 
brown fringed with light brown ; the intermediate tail- 
feathers are entirely of the latter colour; the bill and 
eyes are brown ; the legs and feet black. The plumage 
of the female is in all parts fainter. Buffon’s traquet (lit 
Cap refembles this, and is perhaps the fame. Yet he de- 
lcribes the upper furface to be very dark green, whereas 
no ftiade of green appears in the prefent fpecies. Neither 
does he mention the red over the ears ; but, as that does 
not appear till the bird is full-grown, it is poflible Bufton 
might have received a young one from the Cape. The 
familiar wagtail inhabits all the weft coaft of Africa to 
the tropic. It makes a neft under a ftone, or in a hole 
in the ground ; the eggs are four in number, of a greenilh 
grey colour fpotted with brown. The male lhares with 
the female in the cares of incubation ; they are always 
together. The young, when able to fly, ftill follow the 
parents, forming a little flock or family, till the pairing¬ 
time leparates them to provide for themfelves in like 
manner. 
72. Motacilia cenanthe, the wheatear: length five inches 
and a half: bill black ; irides hazel; top of the head, hind 
part of the neck, and back, bluifli grey; over the eye a 
ftreak of white ; through the eye another of black, which 
widens into a large patch behind it; the quills are black, 
with tawny edges; rump, upper tail-coverts, and bale 
half of the tail, w'hite ; the other half black ; under parts 
of the body yellowilh white, changing to pure white at 
the vent; breaft tinged with red ; legs black. The female 
has the mark over the eyes rather obfeure : and inftead 
of the black mark under it, a patch of brown ; the tail 
is not fo deeply marked with white. This bird vifits 
England annually in the middle of March, and leaves us 
again in September. The females arrive firft, about a 
fortnight before the males : they keep coming till the 
middle of May. In lome parts of England they are in 
vaft plenty, and are much efteemed. About Eaftbourn, 
in Suffex, they are taken in fnares made of horle-hair, 
placed beneath a long turf: being very timid birds, the 
motion of a cloud, or the appearance of a hawk, will 
drive them for flielter into thefe traps, and fo they are 
taken. The numbers annually enfiiared in that diftridt 
alone, are faid to amount to upwards of 1800 dozen, which 
ufually fell for iixpence per dozen. Quantities of thefe 
birds are eaten on the fpot by the neighbouring inha¬ 
bitants ; others are fent up to the London poulterers 5 
and many are potted, being as much efteemed in Eng¬ 
land as the ortolan on the continent. Their food is in- 
fedts only, though in rainy fummers they feed much on 
earth-w'orms, whence they are fatteft in fuch feafons. 
This fpecies is met with in raoft parts of Europe, even 
as far as Greenland ; and has alfo been fent to England 
from the Eaft-Indies. It chiefly frequents heaths; but, 
except in particular fpots, as before mentioned, one only 
fees here and there a few fcattered pairs. The neft is 
ufually placed under flielter of fome turf, clod, or ftone, 
always on the ground, and not unfrequently in fome 
deferted rabbit-burrow. It is compofed of dry grafs or 
mofs, mixed with wool, fur of the rabbit, &c. or lined 
with hair and feathers. The eggs are from five to eight 
in number, of a light blue, with a deeper blue circle at 
the large end. The young are hatched in the middle 
of May. 
( 3 . The grey wheatear: this differs from the firft in 
having a mixture of whitilh and fulvous feathers on the 
upper parts, and very fmall grey fpots on the lower part 
of the neck ; the two middle tail-feathers are wholly 
black ; the others as in the common wheatear, and fringed 
with pale rufous ; legs browm. 
y. The white-fronted wheatear: in this the forehead 
is white; the upper parts of the body alh-coloured, irre¬ 
gularly mixed with grey brown ; the rump cinereous. 
S. 'The white-backed wheatear: found by Scopoli about 
Dwina: wholly white above; throat, wings, and two 
middle tail-feathers, black ; and two fpots of black on 
the other tail-feathers. 
73. Motacilia maculata, the fpotted wheatear: fize of 
a lark : the upper parts brown, fpotted with dulky black; 
rump, and upper tail-coverts, plain brown ; wing-coverts 
and quills black, margined with dulky white ; the prime 
quills black ; round the eyes yellowilh white; under parts 
dull white, fpotted with black on the neck and breaft, 
and dallied with the fame on the fides.; tail white at the 
bale, black above, and duficy beneath ; the two outer 
feathers white on the outer webs, and tips of both webs ; 
legs yellowilh brown. Inhabits Brovence in France; ac¬ 
companies the ortolan, and is frequently taken with 
that bird. 
74. Motacilia Malfilienfis, the Marfeilles wheatear: fize 
of the preceding : bill dulky; top of the head, and hind 
part of the neck, pale rufous brown ; the feathers 
margined with blackifii; upper part of the back rufous ; 
lmaller 
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