The SPURRED PIPITS (Corydalla) are recognisable by their large size, pointed wing (in which the three first quills are of equal length), their long tail, incised at its extremity, and high slender foot, the hinder toe of which is furnished with a claw of great length.
RICHARD'S SPURRED PIPIT.
RICHARD'S SPURRED PIPIT (Corydalla Richardii).—The mantle of this species is of a dull brown, each feather having a light edge; the region of the cheeks, a stripe over the eye, and the entire under side are yellowish white, shaded with grey upon the breast; the sides of the throat are white, decorated with oval, dark brown spots; the centre quills are greyish brown, broadly shaded with light reddish grey on the inner web; the outer web of the first quill is almost white, the rest shade gradually into reddish yellow; the middle tail-feathers are brownish black, the others, like those of the wing, become gradually lighter, the outer feathers being nearly entirely white. The summer plumage is deeper in tint, and the edgings to the feathers more clearly defined than at other seasons. The eye is brown, the upper mandible dark brown, the lower one yellow towards its base; the feet are yellowish brown. This bird is from seven inches and a half to eight inches long, and twelve inches and a half broad; the wing measures three inches and four-fifths, and the tail three inches and a quarter.
The Spurred Pipits frequent Great Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, and Sardinia, but are never seen in large numbers; they are also occasionally found in Heligoland; and Jerdon informs us that during the winter they are met with in the Himalayas, Bengal, Nepaul, Ceylon, Burmah, and other parts of India; at the latter season, according to Swinhoe, they are also numerous in Central China. We ourselves have never succeeded in finding the true Corydalla in either Spain or Africa. Marshes, boggy districts, and the grassy margins of ponds or streams, are the localities to which they resort. Jerdon tells us that they particularly frequent rice-fields, always associating in small parties. Their flight is light, graceful, and undulating. The nest, which is very flat, and placed in a hollow or hole in the ground, is formed of stalks woven together with fibres. The eggs, usually laid about May, are oval, glossy, and of a delicate blueish white, spotted with blueish grey, yellowish brown, or dark brown, and occasionally spotted and streaked with brownish grey; they much resemble those of the Meadow or Rock Pipit. We learn from Jerdon that a large number of these birds are sold in the markets of Calcutta, and passed off as Ortolans.
This species was first found in England by N. Vigors, Esq., in 1812, since which time a few other specimens have been seen in different parts of the island. According to Yarrell, "The habits of the Spurred Pipit—as far as the peculiarities of so rare a bird can be known, for it is equally scarce on the Continent—are said to be very similar to those of other Pipits. It is mostly observed on the ground, frequenting old pastures, where it stands very high and runs with facility, waving the tail up and down, with a gentle airy motion, like that observed in the Wagtails, while its long hind claw, but slightly curved, connects it with the Larks; it has, like them, an agreeable song."
The WAGTAILS (Motacillæ) are readily distinguished from the Pipits by the comparative slenderness of their shape; their legs are high and thin, the wings of medium size, the third quill longer than the rest, and the secondaries scarcely longer than the primaries; the tail is very long, composed of narrow feathers, and often forked at its extremity. The beak is slender, straight, and awl-shaped, with a ridge at its culmen, and slightly incised at its tip. The plumage is much variegated, differs somewhat according to the sexes, and is twice moulted.
The various members of this family inhabit the eastern hemisphere, and within its limits are met with in every latitude; most species prefer the immediate vicinity of water, but some few often seek their food in comparatively arid situations, returning, however, within a few hours to their usual haunts. The movements of the Wagtails are characterised by considerable liveliness and grace, they are neither so hurried nor so rapid as those of the Pipits. Upon the ground they generally walk with a thoughtful, deliberate bearing, bowing the head at each step, and agitating the tail so incessantly as to entitle them to the name by which they are commonly known. Their flight is light and undulatory, being produced by a rapid opening and closing of the wings, and their song, though by no means powerful, is simple and pleasing. Flies, beetles, and larvæ of all kinds afford them their principal means of subsistence; these they not only seek upon the ground, but pursue them to a considerable distance through the air. The northern species migrate as far as Central Africa and India; others only wander somewhat farther south, but few remain throughout the entire year in their native land. The nest, which is carelessly formed of twigs, roots, straw, grass, moss, and dry leaves, is lined internally with wool, or some similar material, and is constructed in holes or hollows in the vicinity of water; if no stream or pond is at hand, a mere pool will often satisfy the requirements of the building pairs. The eggs have a thin, finely-spotted, light grey shell. The nestlings, when first fledged, entirely differ from the parents in their appearance.
Most species of Wagtail exhibit a decided predilection for the immediate neighbourhood of man, whose favour they almost invariably obtain by their confiding and lively disposition.