Fig. 252.—The Stone Chat (Saxicola rubicola, Temm.).
Fig. 253.—The Pied Wagtail (Motacilla Yarrelli, Gould.).
The Wagtails (Motacilla, Cuvier) are remarkable for their slender, elegant form; the neck of moderate length; the head ovate, small, and narrow; plumage soft and blended; the wings long, broad, and pointed; tail long, straight, slender, consisting of twelve weak, narrow feathers. The Wagtails are intimately allied to the Pipits, and resemble them in many of their habits, differing chiefly in the lengthened tail and shorter claws. Both are remarkable for the vibratory motion of their body while standing or walking, which their long tail renders a conspicuous feature.
Fig. 254.—Quaketails (Motacilla flava, Temm.).
The Pied Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea, Gmelin), [Fig. 253], which is generally distributed in England, seems to have been confounded with the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba, Linn.) by naturalists until both species were examined by Mr. Gould. In form and proportion the two species closely resemble each other, the Pied Wagtail being the smaller. Mr. Gould states, in the "Magazine of Natural History," that while preparing his work on the Birds of Europe he was surprised to find that the sprightly Pied Wagtail, so common in our island at all seasons, could not be referred to any described species, and that its habitat was limited to the British Islands, Norway, and Sweden. The true Motacilla alba of Linnæus, on the other hand, is abundant in France, particularly in the neighbourhood of Calais, but has never been discovered on the opposite Kentish coast.
The Quaketails (Budytes, Cuv.), [Fig. 254], form the transition from the Pipits to the Wagtails, but incline more to the latter. They are the Bergeronnettes of French authors. The claw on the hind toe, which is long, and greatly resembles that of the Larks, distinguishes them from Wagtails. They are said to follow flocks of sheep; hence the name given them in France.
Fig. 255.—The Lyretail (Mænura paradisea, Vieill.).