The WHITE WAGTAIL (_Motacilla alba_) is grey upon the mantle, the nape is
of velvety blackness, the throat and upper part of breast are also black,
the rest of the under side brown, while the bridles, cheeks, and sides of
the throat are white; the quills are black, edged with whitish grey; the
centre tail-feathers are black, the rest white. The female resembles her
mate, but the black patch upon her throat is of smaller size. After the
moulting season both sexes have a white patch upon the throat, surrounded
by a horseshoe-shaped black line. The young are of a dull grey above, and
grey or dirty white beneath, with the exception of a dark line on the
throat. The eyes of all are deep brown, the beak and feet black. This
species is seven inches and a half long, and ten inches and two-thirds
broad; the wing measures three inches and a quarter and the tail three
inches and three-quarters.
The White Wagtail is found in every part of Europe; in Africa as far
as eleven degrees north latitude; and in Asia as far south as Aden; it
appears in Europe about March, and leaves again in October or December.
Like other members of its family this species frequents the neighbourhood
of water, and lives in a state of continual restlessness; even when the
bird is not running to and fro, the tail is constantly agitated. Its
movements closely resemble those of other Wagtails, and its song is
agreeable but very simple. Although social as regards their own kind,
these birds always exhibit a most pugnacious and daring disposition
towards the rest of their feathered companions, whatever their size or
powers; indeed, so entirely are they free from any timidity, or sense
of inferiority, that they often combine in parties, and pursue really
large birds of prey, meanwhile uttering such loud cries as warn the whole
neighbourhood of the impending danger; the enemy having been routed the
party separate, after noisily expressing their pleasure at the feat they
have accomplished. Insects and larvæ afford them their principal means
of subsistence; it is not uncommon to see these bold birds seize their
prey from under the very feet of the cattle as they graze, or follow
the footsteps of the ploughman as he turns up the earth. The pairing
season is inaugurated by desperate battles between the rival males, who
confront each other upon the ground and fight till one or the other is
compelled to quit the field. No sooner has the victor obtained undisputed
possession of his prize, than his whole demeanour changes, and he becomes
as tender and gentle as he was before fierce and quarrelsome. Each couple
takes possession of a particular spot, and within its limits make their
nest, placing it indifferently in the most diverse situations. The little
structure is formed of twigs, roots, and grass, hay, leaves, and a great
variety of similar materials, and lined with wool, hair, or other equally
elastic substances. The first brood is laid in April, and consists of
from six to eight eggs of a grey or blueish white hue, thickly spotted
and streaked with grey; the second batch of eggs is produced in June. The
female alone broods, but both parents assist in the business of feeding
the hungry nestlings, who grow with great rapidity, and are soon able
to take care of themselves. In the autumn young and old again assemble,
and pass the night in reed-covered marshy localities, in company with
Swallows and Starlings; as the season advances these parties increase
to large flocks, which during the day fly from one ploughed field or
pasture to another, always keeping in a direct course towards their
winter quarters, and, when night has set in, they rise together into the
air, and, amid loud outcries, start forth upon their long and wearisome
pilgrimage.
[Illustration: THE WHITE WAGTAIL (_Motacilla alba_).]
"The belief expressed in the first part of this work," says Mr. Yarrell,
in his third edition of his valuable work on British Birds, "that this
species is the true _Motacilla alba_ of Linnæus, has been verified in
several instances; the coloured figures and descriptions of Swedish and
other Continental authors leave us no room to doubt, and when the subject
has been further investigated, it will probably be found that the present
species is the real _Motacilla alba_, and therefore called the White
Wagtail. It is only a summer visitor to Britain, while many of the better
known Pied Wagtails remain with us all the year."
In the south of Sweden, where this Wagtail appears about the time the ice
is breaking up, it is called "Is Spjärna"--literally, the "kicker away of
the ice." In some places it goes also by the name of the "Kök Ärla," or
the "Clod Wagtail," because it is so constantly seen amongst the clods
in the newly-ploughed fields. There is, moreover, a saying in parts of
Sweden, that if the farmer commences ploughing either before the coming
or after the departure of the White Wagtail, success will not attend his
labours.