MOTA 
of the laft alar feathers, and the tip of the tail, are yellow 
alfo; and fome yellow appears on the under parts. The 
bill is yellow at the bafe, black at the tip j the feet and 
nails bfownifu black, the eyes red brown. The male is 
ftouter than the female ; the black on his head has a pur¬ 
ple glofs, which does not appear at all in the female; nor 
are the fcales on the plumage of fo bright a yellow in the 
female. This fpecies inhabits the country of the Great 
Wamaquois; in barren plains, and at the foot of rugged 
hills; but fpends only the fummer there. The eggs are 
about five, of a pale blue with reddifh fpots. 
83. Motacilla rubetra, the whinchat: length five inches: 
bill black; irides hazel; upper parts of the head, neck, 
back, and rump, blackifh, edged with rufous; from the 
bill arifes a ftreak of white, which paffes over the eye on 
each fide; beneath this the cheeks are blackifh; chin 
white; the reft of the under parts rufous white; paleft 
on the belly, and inclining to reddifh on the breaft; on 
the wing, near the fhoulder, is a tranfverfe white mark, 
and another fmaller near the baftard wing, on the outer 
edge; the tail is white for two-thirds from the bafe, the 
reft blackifh, except the middle feathers, which are wholly 
of this laft colour; legs black. The female differs in being 
paler, and the fpots on the wings much lefs perceivable: 
the white trace over the eye is far lefs confpicuous; and, 
inftead of black, the fides of the head are of the fame 
colour as the other parts of it. This bird is common in 
England, and is feen on the heaths during the fummer 
months, where it breeds. It lays five dirty white eggs, 
dotted with black. Latham has feen them in Kent 
throughout the year. This is common alfo on the con¬ 
tinent of Europe, in France, Italy, Germany, and the 
more temperate parts of Ruffia. Its food is chiefly in¬ 
fers : and is faid to be nearly as good as the ortolan, 
when fat. 
84. Motacilla fervida, the fultry whinchat: fize of the 
preceding-, bill black; upper parts of the head, neck, 
body, and wdngs, deep brown; edges of the feathers 
rufous; on the wings are two white fpots, as in the laft 
fpecies; the under parts are yellowifli white, inclining to 
rufous on the breaft; tail dufky, \ffth pale margins; legs 
black. Native of Senegal. 
85. Motacilla montanella, the Siberian whinchat: 
larger than the preceding: crown of the head brownilh 
black; over the eyes a yellow ftreak; chin of the fame 
colour, though in fome birds both are white; ears black, 
placed on a bed of grey; back teftaceous, fpotted with 
brown; beneath pale ochre-colour; the feathers on the 
throat brown at the bafe; wings brown; the quills edged 
with grey, and the fecondaries with white; tail pale afh- 
colour; the two middle feathers, and the outer one, ftiorter 
than the others. This vifits the Daurian Alps in February, 
with the flocks of hawfinches. 
86. Motacilla traftrac, the African whinchat. This 
fpecies inhabits the Auteniquois country, perching on 
bufhes. It is about the fize of the European whinchat, 
but extremely wild and Ihy, rarely approaching the haunts 
of men; fometimes it may be feen in the cattle-inclo- 
fures; but, if a man approach, flies off dire&ly; then you 
may difcover that the rump is white, as are alfo the four 
lateral tail-feathers, which it fpreads much as it flies. It 
is called trac-trac, becaufe it feems to exprefs that fyllable 
repeatedly in its cry. In flapping its wing, and (baking 
its tail, it refembles the reft of the fpecies. There is 
nothing ftriking in the plumage. It is cinereous grey on 
the head and mantle, lighter on the lower part of the 
back, and entirely white on the tail-coverts; the front 
of the neck and breaft are lightifti grey; the reft of the 
under part white. The twelve tail-feathers are black 
tipped with white, and of equal length ; the four firft on 
each fide are edged outwardly with white, the fourth and 
third have it only toward their origin, the third, how¬ 
ever, rather more than the fourth; the two laft, i.e. the 
outermoft of all, are white all along. The wing-feathers 
are brown, edged, the firft of them with light brown, the 
Vol. XVI. No. 1095. 
C I L L A. 89 
laft with white. The bill, legs, and feet, are black; the 
eye, which is very large, nut-brown ; a row of white fea¬ 
thers encircles the eyelids. This bird digs a hole for its 
neft at the foot of a dwarf-tree or buffi; the eggs are four 
in number, greyifh, with an infinite number of brown 
dots. Though this fpecies be very difficult of approach, 
M. Vaillant fucceeded in killing eight males and five fe¬ 
males. The latter were rather fmaller, and the white over 
the vent not fo extenfive. I11 the young bird the feathers 
of the mantle are bordered with rufous. 
87. Motacilla montana, the mountain whinchat. This 
fpecies in its manners refembles the rock-thrufh, or that 
fpecies which Vaillant calls rocard, which is the African 
rock-thrufh. Neither are found but in rocky mountains, 
in the holes of which they make a neft; and few birds 
are equal in cunning to thefe : their difpofition is nearly 
the fame. This mountain bird is rarely feen on the plain; 
it never defcends but in time of great drought, when the 
fun has evaporated all moifture from the rocks ; then it 
takes long journeys to reach a fpring or a river. This 
bird tries the fkill and patience of the fowler; at the leaft 
appearance of danger, it flies to the top of a high rock; 
the report of a gun drives it to the other fide of the moun¬ 
tain, or into a deep hole, till the danger be paft. 
The general plumage of this fpecies, in its perfedt ftate, 
that is, after the firft moult of the fecqnd year, is black; 
but the belly, (houlders, the coverts of the tail, and the 
margins of its lateral feathers, are white. The eyes are 
brown; bill and feet black. The female refembles the 
male in colour, but is rather lefs. The young birds, un¬ 
til the fecond moult, both males and females, are of 3. 
delicate (late-colour, blui(h on the body, paler beneath; 
the wing-feathers are blackifli margined with grey; the 
middle feathers of the tail black, the laterals partly white; 
the rump white ; the (houlders very light grey ; the bill 
and feet brown ; the eyes reddifh brown. At that inex¬ 
perienced age they are eafily killed. In the middle age, 
or after the fecond moult, the plumage varies greatly in 
different individuals; they are then diverfely fpotted with 
grey, white, and black ; for part of the firft plumage re¬ 
mains in different places. Sometimes the mantle only 
remains grey, or perhaps even only on one fide; fome¬ 
times the head continues grey; in other birds the grey 
and black feathers are about equally diftributed. Only 
the plumage of the rump and the lateral tail-feathers 
keep always the fame colours. Rarely but in the pairing- 
feafon are thefe birds feen in couples: when the young 
begin to fly, the family remains together for a (hort time ; 
but, the moment they are able to provide for themfelves, 
they feparate, and live apart. Even the old ones, having 
no longer a brood to take care of, forget each other, and 
live apart till the feafon of love calls them together again; 
then they call to each other with a loud cry that makes 
the hollow rocks refound. From the difficulty of reach¬ 
ing the place where thefe birds build their nefts, Vaillant 
was never able to procure the eggs. He met with the 
fpecies in the Namaquois country only; they feed on 
worms and foft infects. 
88. Motacilla magna, the great warbler. This meafures 
feven inches and a half in length: bill an inch long; the 
head brown, mixed with darker brown; upper part of 
the neck and body pale browm; throat whitilh, mixed 
with brown; breaft brown ; wing-coverts, and outer edge 
of the quills the fame; within, half brown, half rufous; 
the tail is alfo of thefe two laft colours, and the two 
outer feathers white on the outer webs; the under part 
of the body pale rufous. 
89. Motacilla Philippenfis, the Philippine warblers 
length fix inches and a quarter: bill dirty yellow; head 
reddifh white, in fome parts inclining to yellow; the neck 
dirty red ; acrofs the breaft a bluifh band; belly and vent 
reddifh white; back, wings, and tail, violet black; acrofs 
the middle of the wing-coverts is a long white mark ; on 
the outer edge of the wing, below this, is another; and 
fome of the greater coverts being edged with white, make 
A a a third 
/ 
