SB MOTACILLA, 
fmaller wing-coverts black, margined with rufous, and the 
quids the lame, but fome of the outer ones margined with 
rufous white near the ends ; under the eyes a yellowilh 
white fpot; the under parts reddilh white, marked with 
fmall blackfill fpots about the neck and breaft ; tail dulky 
black; the two middle feathers margined with rufous, 
the four next with white, and the two outermoft wholly 
white; legs yellowilh. This is found about Marfeilles, 
in France, where it is called fijl, from its making a cry like 
that word; when difturbed, inftead of flying away, it 
fquats beneath fome ftone or other Ihelter, till all is quiet. 
75. Motacilla pileata, the hooded wheatear: length fix 
inches : bill black ; head black, uniting on each fide the 
neck with a deep crefcent of the fame; over the eye a 
white ftreak ; forehead and chin white, back and wings 
ruflet brown; rump and belly white ; tail white, except 
the whole of the two middle feathers, and ends of all the 
reft, wl ich are black. Brought from the Cape of Good 
Hope, where it is called fc/iaap wagter. 
76. Motacilla aurantia, the orange-breafted wheatear : 
length fix inches : upper parts black-brown and greenfih- 
brown mixed ; fmaller wing-coverts the fame ; the greater 
white, throat dirty white; fore part of the neck the fame, 
mixed with black ; breaft orange, paleft towards the belly; 
tipper and under tail-coverts white ; tail feathers brown ; 
all but the two middle ones have the ends white. This 
is alfo a native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
77. Motacilla Hottentotta, the Hottentot wheatear : 
a large fpecies ; length eight inches: bill ten lines long ; 
top of the head, and breali, irregularly marked with pale 
and dark brown ; the reft of the upper parts to the rump 
fulvous brown ; on the rump a pale fulvous band; throat 
dirty white, tinged with brown : upper part of the belly, 
and fides, fulvous, the lower belly dirty white ; under 
tail-coverts yellowilh, the upper white; bafe of the tail 
white, the reft black ; the tip dirty white, except the 
two middle feathers, which are black, with fulvous tips ; 
wings brown, the edges fringed with yellowilh. Found 
at the Cape of Good Hope. 
This is the Traquet imitateur of Vaillant, (Oifeaux 
d’Afrique, PI. 181.) who adds, that it mimics the notes 
of all birds ; alfo the crowing of a cock, the cackling of 
hens, the gabbling of geele, the bleating of llieep, the 
barking of dogs. See. 
78. Motacilla leucorhoa, the rufous wheatear: length 
feven inches: bill black ; upper parts rufous brown; 
wing-coverts brown, edged with rufous; quills the fame; 
under parts of the body yellowilh white, inclining to 
reddilh on the breaft; rump, upper and under tail-coverts, 
and bafe of the tail, white ; the reft the fame as the quills ; 
legs black. Inhabits Senegal. 
79. Motacilla llapizina, the vinaceous wheatear: fize 
of the common wheatear: head, neck, back, and breaft, 
vinaceous, or light claret-colour; deepeft on the back, 
and fainteft on the breaft; acrofs the lower part of the 
back is a crefcent of black fpots; chin, cheeks, and 
throat, black; rump, lower belly, and upper tail-coverts, 
white ; wings brown ; the two middle tail-feathers black ; 
the reft white, with a narrow border of black; bill and 
legs blackilh. The female is like the male, except that 
the black mark is round and behind the eyes only, and 
not under the throat, which is white. 
0 . There is a variety of this bird, which differs in 
having its colour rufty yellow inftead of vinaceous ; and 
the bafe of the tail yellow. Thefe wheatears are found 
at Gibraltar, in Italy, about Bologna, in Siberia, and 
Kamtfchatka. 
80. Motacilla formicivora, the ant-eater wheatear. This 
fpecies, though not larger -than the Hottentot wheatear, 
is however much ftouter, the bill thicker, tail fhorter, and 
legs ftronger. It differs alfo in colour, and is much more 
ftiy; it frequents neither the Dutch fettlements nor the 
hordes of the lavages, but remains in the open country, 
and chiefly where it finds thole hillocks which are railed 
by the ants of Africa; upon thefe it perches, feeding on 
the larvae of thofe induftrious infedfts. But the foiid abodes 
conftrufted by thefe ants would be impenetrable by the 
bill of the wheatear, were it not for a quadruped, the 
great ant-eater of the Cape, (a fpecies totally different 
from the ant-eaters of the new world, but deferibed by 
Buffon in his Supplement,) which turns up the ant-hill* 
with his fnout, and devours the inhabitants. In thefe 
ruined habitations the ant-eater wheatear builds and rears - 
its young, finilhing the bufinefs of deftrudtion which the 
real ant-eaters had begun. But l'ometimes the wheatear 
builds under a mole-hill, or in a hole in a rock; laying 
four or five white eggs. Thefe birds commonly fly in 
pairs, and the young ones continue with the parents 
longer than fome fpecies we have mentioned. The male 
differs from the female by a white fpot on the Ihoulder, 
arifing from the fmaller coverts of the pinions; and fome 
of the intermediate wing-feathers are white at their fide 3 . 
But the general colour of the plumage is dull brown on 
the upper furface of the body, wings, and tail; fainter 
on the belly and under parts. The throat is tinged with 
rufous, as well as fome of the feathers of the neck and 
breaft. The bill, feet, and nails, are black; the eyes dark 
brown. The white fpot on the wing does not appear tilL 
the fecond moult. The female is rather fmaller; and, 
what does not often happeai, of a darker brown on the 
body. This fpecies was found near the Sondag and 
Swartkop rivers, about Caffraria; and differs from the 
Hottentot wheatear in perching on high trees. Its note 
or cry is trrrri-hir-hi-Mrrr, dwelling much upon the r. 
81. Motacilla imperator, the commander wheatear. 
This refembles the preceding, and like that frequents the 
ant-hills to feed upon the larvae of thofe induftrious in¬ 
fers. They go in little flocks, confifting of the parents 
and the young brood, which do not feparate till the lat¬ 
ter are fit to produce a new generation. Why Vaillant 
called this fpecies commandeur , we cannot tell. The plu¬ 
mage is black with a brownilh tinge in certain pofitions, 
except the pinions of the wings, which are flelh-colour, 
more intenfe in the male. The female is fmaller than 
the male; both have the bill and feet black, and the 
eyes reddiih-brown. This is abfolutely a new fpecies, 
inhabiting the weftern coaft of Africa, from the 28th de¬ 
gree of fouth latitude to the tropic. Vaillant had not an 
opportunity of examining the eggs or neft; but was af- 
fured by the favages that the}'- neftied in deep holes under 
ground, which appeared likely, as thofe helhot had com¬ 
monly their plumage foiled with earth; and, from the 
number generally feen together, it is evident they lay 
from five to eight eggs, for a flock feldom confifts of lei’s 
than feven, including the parent-birds, or more than ten. 
The plumage of the young bird is of a reddifli-brown, 
and the Ihoulder-knot white; at which time it might be 
eafily miftaken for the ant-eater, only that the latter has 
a much ftouter bill. Several of this fpecies have been 
brought from Malymba; they are exactly fimilar to thofe 
from the fouth of Africa. 
82. Motacilla alauda, the lark-wheatear. With this 
fpecies Vaillant concludes his lift of wagtails, proceeding 
then to the larks; and he obferves that the prefent may 
be confidered as a connecting link between thofe two 
genera. With the exterior appearance of the larks, the 
bird unites the manners and flight of the European wheat- 
ear, M. cenanthe. Yet it does not find that abundant 
food which the cultivated lands of Europe prefent; how¬ 
ever, among the barren fands and parched mountains of 
Africa, it dil’covers fome open places fuited to its inftinCts 
and to its wants. Under a heap of ftones, or in a hole, 
the lark-wheatear fixes its folitary dwelling, and brings 
up its young. This bird is very Ihy, and runs into its 
hole at the leaft appearance of danger. Differing in thefe 
refpeCts from the larks, it refembles them in the ftout- 
nefs of body, the fhape of the bill, and laftly in the length 
of the hinder claw of the foot. The plumage is gene¬ 
rally black; but the round tips of molt of the feathers 
are yellow, and give the appearance offcales; the ends 
