with any other species. Apart from the rufous tint of the upper portion
of the plumage which has suggested its English name, the tail is totally
unlike that of any of the river warblers; for, instead of being of a
uniform brown, it has a broad band of black across both webs of all the
feathers (except the two centre ones) towards their extremities, which
black band is terminated by white. This is very conspicuous as the bird
moves it up and down, and could not fail to attract the notice of anyone
who has paid attention to birds. It does not appear, however, that this
species has been identified in this country with certainty more than
twice, although it may possibly have occurred oftener. A specimen shot
at Plumpton Bosthill, near Brighton, in September, 1854, was recorded by
Mr. Borrer in the “Zoologist” for that year (p. 4511), and was figured
by Mr. Yarrell in the third edition of his “History of British Birds”
(i. p. 314). A second, obtained at Start Point, Devonshire, in
September, 1859, was noticed by Mr. Llewellyn in the “Annals and
Magazine of Nat. History,” 1859 (iv. p. 399), and in the “Ibis,” 1860
(p. 103). It is possible that this may be the Red-tailed Warbler
(_Sylvia erythaca_), six specimens of which are stated to have been
taken near Plymouth, and to have occurred there for the first time in
Britain.[35] From a want of acquaintance with its habits, this bird has
been erroneously called the Rufous _Sedge_ Warbler. It is never found in
the neighbourhood of sedge, but on the driest ground, amidst scrub and
thick underwood. In fact, as regards structure and habits, it differs in
so many respects from the river warblers that it has been generally
separated from them, and, except for convenience, ought not to be
included in the present sketch. Its real home seems to be North Africa
and Palestine; but it is not uncommon in some parts of Southern Europe,
and is found (accidentally only) as far north as the British Islands.
[Illustration: PIED WAGTAIL]
THE PIED WAGTAIL.
(_Motacilla Yarrelli._)
By many writers on ornithology, the Pied Wagtail has been regarded as a
resident species in Great Britain, since it is to be met with in some
parts of the country all the year round, but there can be no doubt that
large numbers migrate southward for the winter, and return to our shores
again in spring. On several occasions when crossing by steamer to the
opposite coasts of France and Belgium, I have seen Pied Wagtails passing
across and at times even alighting on board the vessel for a short rest.
On quitting the ship they would fly round and round for some seconds
with their peculiar undulatory flight, and finally make off for the land
in a straight line, often directly in the vessel’s course.
According to the observations of Mr. Knox, the Pied Wagtails which have
wintered abroad reach the coast of Sussex about the middle of March, and
on fine days may be seen approaching the shore, aided by a gentle breeze
from the south, their well-known call-note being distinctly audible from
the sea long before the birds come in sight.
The neighbouring fields, where but a short time previously not a bird of
the kind was to be seen, are soon tenanted by numbers, and for several
days they continue dropping on the beach in small parties. The old males
come first, while the females and males of the previous year do not
appear until some days later. After resting near the coast for a few
days the new comers proceed inland, and any good observer there
stationed may perceive how much the numbers of the species increase at
this season. About the middle of August there is a general return
movement towards the coast, and the Wagtails now first become
gregarious. At that time Mr. Knox has frequently observed them in the
interior of the county, where they remain but a few days, making way for
fresh detachments, which in their turn follow the same route to the sea.
At the end of the month, or early in September, they may be seen of a
morning, flying invariably from west to east, parallel to the shore, but
following each other in constant succession.
These flights continue from daybreak until about ten o’clock in the
forenoon, and so steadily do the birds pursue their course that even
when one or more of an advancing party have been shot, the remainder do
not fly in a different direction, but opening to right and left close
their ranks and continue their progress as before. During this transit
their proximity to the coast depends to some degree on the character of
the country lying between the South Downs and the sea; but as they
advance towards Brighton, the migrating bands, consisting chiefly of the
young of the year, accumulate in vast flocks, and thus they seek the
adjoining county of Kent, whence the voyage to the continent may be
performed with ease and security even by birds but a few months old, and
unequal to protracted flights.[36]
The habits of the Pied Wagtail are so generally known, that little need
be said here upon the subject. Its partiality for shallow water, where
it preys upon aquatic insects, and even small fish, such as minnows and
sticklebacks, has led to its being familiarly known as the Water
Wagtail, although it is not more aquatic in its habits than other
members of the genus, indeed, scarcely so much as one species, the Grey
Wagtail, whose haunts seem inseparable from the water-side.
THE WHITE WAGTAIL.
(_Motacilla alba._)
Closely resembling the last-named in form and general appearance, the
White Wagtail long escaped observation as an annual summer migrant to
this country. Its distinctive characters, however, are now almost
universally admitted, and ornithologists experience little difficulty in
recognizing the two species.
The particular respects in which the White Wagtail differs from its
congeners are noticeable chiefly in the summer, or breeding plumage,
when the former has a black cap clearly defined against a grey back,
while in the latter the black colour of the head merges in the black of
the dorsal plumage and no such cap is discernible. In summer both
species have the chin black, and in winter the same parts in both are
white. In the immature and winter dress it is not so easy to distinguish
them, and in form and structure at all ages and seasons no real
difference seems to exist. This has naturally raised some doubt in the
minds of many as to the validity of the so-called species, a doubt which
is strengthened by the circumstance that in regard to haunts and habits
the two may be said to be inseparable.
This much, however, seems to be certain, that whereas the Pied Wagtail
is generally distributed as a resident species, migrating southward at
the approach of winter, the White Wagtail spends only the summer months
in this country, and is then very local in its distribution.
Beyond the British Islands the White Wagtail has a much more extensive
range than its congeners, being found throughout the whole of Europe,
penetrating to the North Cape and even to Iceland, and travelling
southward beyond the Mediterranean into Africa, to within a few degrees
of the equator.
[Illustration: GREY WAGTAIL]
THE GREY WAGTAIL.
(_Motacilla sulphurea._)
Except for the purpose of a momentary comparison, it would be beyond the
scope of the present volume to notice the Grey Wagtail here, for this
bird does not come under the definition of a Summer Migrant.
It is rather a winter visitant, being most frequently observed in the
cold season, although many pairs remain in suitable localities
throughout the country to nest and rear their young. Upon this point
Professor Newton has remarked that “a line drawn across England from the
Start Point, slightly curving round the Derbyshire hills, and ending at
the mouth of the Tees, will, it is believed, mark off the habitual
breeding-range of this species in the United Kingdom; for southward and
eastward of such a line it never, or only occasionally breeds, while to
the westward and northward its nest may be looked for in any place
suited to its predilections, as above described, whether in this island
or in Ireland, where, according to Thompson, it is extensively, though
not universally distributed. In Scotland, says Macgillivray, it is rare
to the north of Inverness, but it is an occasional summer visitor to
Orkney, and in Shetland it occurs towards the end of summer, though it
is not known to have been met with in the Outer Hebrides. In the
south-west of England its numbers are in summer comparatively small, but
it breeds annually in Cornwall and on Dartmoor; and as we pass northward
its numbers increase, until in parts of Scotland, perhaps, they attain
their maximum. Nests have been reported from Dorset, Wilts, Hampshire,
Sussex, and even Kent; but in those counties they are confessedly
casual, and only in the case at Chenies, in Buckinghamshire, mentioned
by Mr. Gould (‘Contr. Orn.,’ 1849, p. 137), does the species seem to
have been more than an accidental settler.”
The Grey Wagtail may be at once distinguished by having the vent and
upper tail coverts of a sulphur-yellow, and by its great length of tail.
In summer it has a black patch upon the throat, of a triangular shape
when viewed in profile, and bordered with white, but in winter this
black patch disappears, and the throat is then of a pale
yellowish-white.
It has been stated by Temminck and other naturalists who have followed
him, that the black throat is the peculiar attribute of the male bird in
the summer or breeding plumage; but this is a mistake. Both sexes have a
black throat in the breeding season, as I know from having observed them
when paired, and from having examined numerous specimens of which the
sex had been carefully ascertained by dissection.
The haunts of the Grey Wagtail are somewhat different to those of its
congeners. It affects pools and streams, especially where there is a
good current, and may frequently be seen perched upon boulders and
mill-dams, where it feeds upon the freshwater limpets (_Ancylus
fluviatilis_), and other small mollusca which are found attached in such
situations.
The nest is generally placed not far from the water, in some inequality
of the bank, or crevice of an overhanging rock. Upon a rugged mountain
stream in Northumberland some years since, I daily observed a pair of
these birds, and derived much pleasure in watching their building
operations. It was some time before I could discover the nest, so
skilfully was it concealed, for the birds had selected a crevice in a
rock which was much overgrown with moss, and by constructing their nest
entirely of this moss, it would easily have escaped observation, had I
not patiently watched for the ingress and egress of the owners.
The geographical range of the Grey Wagtail beyond the British Islands
has not been satisfactorily determined, in consequence of the difficulty
of identifying the species amongst other allied forms which are to be
met with in the confines of Europe and Asia. It certainly does not go
far north in Europe, perhaps not beyond Northern Germany, but southward
it is met with in winter in most of the countries bordering the
Mediterranean, as well as in North Africa, Madeira, and the Azores.
[Illustration: Decorative glyph]
[Illustration: YELLOW WAGTAIL]
THE YELLOW WAGTAIL.
(_Motacilla Rayi._)
By many authors the Yellow Wagtails have been separated from the Pied
Wagtails under the generic term _Budytes_, proposed by Cuvier, not only
in consequence of their very different colouration, but also on account
of their possessing a longer and more strongly-developed hind claw. The
numerous intermediate forms, however, which the researches of modern
naturalists have brought to light from various parts of the Old World,
have rendered this subdivision less necessary or desirable than it may
originally have appeared to be. In outward form, internal structure, and
habits, they are all Wagtails, and one generic term for the whole has,
at all events, the merit of simplicity.
The Yellow Wagtail, whose plumage in the breeding season equals in
brightness that of the Canary, is one of the most attractive of all our
summer migrants. When running over the pastures and fields of sprouting
wheat, the olive-green colour of the dorsal plumage renders it very
inconspicuous, but when perched upon some rail, or clod upon the bare
fallow, the bright yellow of the under-parts contrasts vividly with the
duller surroundings, and at once attracts the attention of the
passer-by. Its favourite haunts are the marshes and water-meadows where
cattle are pastured. Here it finds plenty of food amongst the insects
which are disturbed by the grazing kine, and the numerous small and
thin-shelled mollusca which abound in such situations.
When the nest has to be constructed—and it is always upon the
ground—more sheltered spots are selected, such as a tussock of rough
grass, or the foot of a bunch of tares or clover, and I have
occasionally discovered a nest under an overhanging clod upon a bare
fallow. Thus in regard to its mode of nesting it differs essentially
from the well-known Pied Wagtail. Its note, too, is very different, and
its flight much sharper, and with bolder curves. The eggs are quite
dissimilar, being so closely freckled over with yellowish-clay colour,
like those of the Grey Wagtail, as to appear at a little distance almost
uniformly so coloured; whereas the eggs of the Pied and White Wagtails
are white, freckled with ash-grey, chiefly at the larger end.
The Yellow Wagtail generally arrives in this country during the first
week of April (for many years I have noted the 5th of that month as the
average date for its appearance), and it departs during the first week
of September. For some time previous to its departure, the young and old
assemble in flocks, and it is not unusual to see several united family
parties in the meadows, numbering from a dozen to a score of
individuals.
Although generally distributed during the summer months throughout the
greater part of England and Scotland, it is said to be somewhat rare in
Ireland, where its presence has been detected by comparatively few
observers. So much more attention, however, is paid to ornithology
now-a-days, that this species, like many others, may be reported to be
more common than formerly because more observed. In the central and
southern portions of Europe it is not uncommon, and crossing the
Mediterranean, as winter approaches, it passes down both the east and
west coasts of Africa as far as Natal on the one side and Angola on the
other. A considerable number, however, pass the winter in Africa, a good
many degrees further north.
THE GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL.
(_Motacilla flava._)
Similar in form and general colouration to the last-named, amongst the
flocks of Yellow Wagtails that visit us in the spring the grey-headed
species no doubt often escapes observation. But it is not on this
account to be considered rare. On the contrary, there is good reason to
believe that it is a regular migrant to this country, and this is not
surprising when we consider that it is the common Yellow Wagtail of
northern Europe, the true _Motacilla flava_ of Linnæus. It differs
chiefly from Ray’s Wagtail in having a well-defined cap of a grey colour
on the head, a white instead of a yellow streak over the eye, and a
white chin instead of a yellow one.[37] It frequents the same situations
as the last-named, and its habits are very similar.
The specimens which have been obtained and recorded as British, and
which amount to a considerable number, have been for the most part met
with on the coasts of the eastern, southern, and south-western counties
of England, and almost invariably in the spring of the year. There can
be no doubt that it breeds here; indeed, the fact of its having done so
in two or three instances has been already recorded. In the “Zoologist”
for 1870 (p. 2343), Mr. J. Watson of Gateshead, near Newcastle-on-Tyne,
writes:—“I have seen a good many notices in the ‘Zoologist’ of the
occurrence of the Grey-headed Wagtail: it may interest you to hear of
its breeding in this neighbourhood. Two nests were found by a friend of
mine last year on some swampy ground near here. This year on the 13th of
June I found another; and on the 8th of July my friend shot two young
birds beginning to assume their mature plumage: one of these birds is in
the possession of and was identified by Mr. John Hancock of Newcastle.”
But although the greater number of recorded British specimens have been
obtained in the South of England, a few have been noticed from time to
time in Scotland, and Dr. Saxby has on several occasions seen the
species even as far north as Shetland. Mr. Blake Knox thinks that it
occurs in Ireland, but that it is probably much overlooked, or perhaps
confounded with the last-mentioned species. As it is common in summer in
most of the countries of Western Europe, one would naturally expect to
meet with it more frequently at the same season in Great Britain; and
the increasing attention which is being paid to ornithology, and
especially to the birds of particular districts, will no doubt result in
the establishment of this species in the list of British birds as an
annual summer migrant.
[Illustration: Decorative glyph]
[Illustration: MEADOW PIPIT]
THE MEADOW PIPIT.
(_Anthus pratensis._)
Premising that attention is not confined to species which are British,
it is generally admitted by ornithologists that the Pipits are a
difficult group to identify. They are subject to such variation in size
and colour that it has often happened that one and the same species has
been described four or five times as new, under as many new names.
Gradually, however, as the researches of naturalists become extended,
and the transport of specimens from various quarters of the globe is
facilitated, the difficulty wears off, and we are enabled to define with
sufficient accuracy the limits of each species and the variations of
plumage within those limits.
Were I to confine my remarks in the present instance to those Pipits
only which are regular summer migrants to this country, I should not
have to mention more than two species. It may be well, however, to take
a glance at all those which have a claim to be included in the British
list, distinguishing them under the heads of “Residents,” “Summer
Migrants,” and “Occasional Visitants.”
Two species only are resident with us throughout the year—the well-known
Meadow Pipit or Titlark (_Anthus pratensis_), and the larger Rock Pipit
(_Anthus obscurus_). Both these, however, are to a certain extent
migratory at the approach of winter, assembling in small flocks, and
moving from place to place in search of food. The Tree Pipit (_Anthus
arboreus_) visits us regularly in April, and remains in this country
until September; and there can be little doubt, from recent observations
of naturalists in different parts of the country, that the Water Pipit
(_Anthus spinoletta_, Linnæus, or _Anthus aquaticus_, Bechstein) is also
an annual summer migrant to our shores. At irregular intervals, and in
addition to these, we are occasionally visited by Richards’ Pipit, the
Tawny Pipit, the Red-throated Pipit, and the Pennsylvanian Pipit. Of the
two resident species, as well as the Tree Pipit, it can scarcely be
necessary to say much, for their appearance and habits, if not well
known to all, are described in almost every book on British birds. After
pointing out their distinguishing characters, therefore, my remarks will
refer chiefly to the geographical distribution of the species.
The Pipits hold an intermediate place between the Wagtails and Larks,
having the slender bill of the former, and, with one exception, the long
hind claw of the latter. Like these birds, they live almost entirely on
the ground, where they seek their food, build their nests, and rear
their young. Low-lying meadows and marshy places, the margin of tidal
harbours, and the seashore are the favourite haunts of the Pipits. In
such situations, except in very hard weather, they find abundance of
food, consisting chiefly of insect larvæ, small beetles, flies, seeds,
and minute univalve mollusca. I have almost invariably found, in
addition, that the stomachs contain little particles of grit or brick,
swallowed no doubt to assist in triturating the food.
The Meadow Pipit (_Anthus pratensis_) is the smallest as well as the
commonest species to be met with, and is generally dispersed throughout
the British Islands, including Orkney and Shetland. It is by no means
confined to the plains or open country, but is frequently to be met with
on mountain sides, sometimes at a considerable elevation. Tourists and
sportsmen must doubtless have remarked this when climbing the Scotch and
Irish mountains. The late Mr. Wheelwright, in Lapland, found it “very
high up on the fells;” Professor Salvadori remarked it on the Apennines;
and Messrs. Elwes and Buckley include it in their list of the birds of
Turkey as frequenting the mountains.
In summer it is common in Scandinavia, and Mr. Wheelwright found it
nesting in Lapland. It goes as far north as the Faroe Isles and
Iceland.[38] According to Professor Reinhardt,[39] Dr. Paulsen, in
Sleswick, received a single specimen from Greenland in 1845; but he adds
that he (Professor R.) never saw it there himself. The Meadow Pipit
appears to be generally distributed throughout Europe, and at the
approach of winter emigrates in a south-easterly direction by way of
Sicily and the Ionian Islands to Palestine. Lord Lilford states that it
is very common in Corfu and Epirus in winter.[40] Canon Tristram found
it in large flocks throughout the winter in North Africa, “apparently on
passage;” and in Southern Palestine and in the Plains of Sharon he
remarked that it was very abundant. According to Sir R. Schomburgk, it
occurs as far eastward as Siam; but Mr. Blyth considered the Siamese
_pratensis_ to be the Red-throated Pipit (_A. cervinus_) in winter
plumage. It is known to occur in India, however, as Mr. Hume has
procured this species near Ferozpore, North-west India; and Mr. Blyth
saw specimens from other parts of the North-west provinces. The range of
this bird southwards, that is through Africa, seems to be very limited.
According to Mr. Saunders, it is common in Spain in winter, but it is
not included in Mr. Tyrwhitt Drake’s list of the birds of Morocco; and
though Mr. Salvin shot a specimen at Kef Laks in the Eastern Atlas, it
appears to occur in North-west Africa exceptionally. The Pipit of the
Canaries, originally regarded as _A. pratensis_, has been described by
Dr. Bolle[41] as distinct, under the name of Berthelot’s Pipit (_Anthus
Berthelotii_). But Mr. Vernon Harcourt maintains—and so did the late Mr.
Yarrell—that Madeiran specimens can in no degree be distinguished from
specimens of _A. pratensis_ from other parts.
[Illustration: ROCK PIPIT]
THE ROCK PIPIT.
(_Anthus obscurus._)