FAMILY MOTACILLIDÆ
(Wagtails and Pipits)
Wings with nine visible primaries. Inner secondaries nearly as long as primaries.
45. Motacilla (Wagtail). Cutting edges of both mandibles slightly compressed inwards; nostrils basal, oval, partly concealed by a naked membrane; first primary acuminate and nearly obsolete, second and third nearly equal and longest; one of the scapulars as long as the quills; tail long, nearly even at the end; tarsus much longer than the middle toe.
46. Anthus (Pipit). Bill and nostrils very much as in Motacilla; two of the scapulars as long as the closed wing; first primary acuminate and nearly obsolete, second shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest; hind claw very long.
FAMILY ALAUDIDÆ
(Larks)
Wings with nine or more visible primaries. Planta tarsi scutellate. Granivorous birds, frequenting open spaces, and singing during their flight; nesting on ground and seeking their food there by running; they are 'pulverators', i.e. they shake dust or sand into their feathers instead of bathing.
47. Alauda (Lark). Bill moderate, slightly compressed at edges; upper mandible more or less arched from middle. Nostrils basal, oval, covered by bristly feathers directed forward. Gape straight. Wings long; first primary short but unmistakably developed; second, third and fourth nearly equal, but third longest. Tail moderate, slightly forked. Tarsus longer than middle toe; claws slightly curved and moderate, except that of hind toe, which is generally elongate and nearly straight.