Part 43

The Sheep Wagtails appear in Europe about May, and leave again in August or September. During the breeding season they usually frequent marshy districts, and the immediate vicinity of water, but at other times pass almost the entire day in pasture lands, near flocks of sheep or herds of cattle. Most members of this family breed in Greece and North Africa, but some few in the northern parts of Europe. The flight of all is light, and often remarkably rapid; they generally hover before alighting, or sink suddenly and directly earthward, with wings completely closed. Their song consists of a few insignificant piping notes. Although of a social temperament, they display during the breeding season a most quarrelsome and pugnacious disposition, pursuing and giving battle to every small bird that ventures to approach their dwelling-place. The nest is concealed among grass, corn, or water plants, and is usually made in a slight hollow in the ground; in form it resembles that of a Lark or Pipit; the walls are loosely constructed with fine roots, grass, dry leaves, and moss, and the interior lined with wool, horsehair, and feathers. The eggs, from four to six in number, have delicate shells, of a yellowish, reddish, or greyish hue, veined, spotted, and clouded with brown, yellow, violet, and grey. But one brood is produced in the year; the female alone undertakes the duty of incubation, and hatches the nestlings in about three days. Both parents exhibit the utmost anxiety about the safety of their little ones, and frequently betray their retreat by the cries of alarm which they utter on the approach of a stranger. Young and old remain together until they start forth on their winter excursions.

Jerdon is of opinion that from the description of _B. melanocephalus_ of Southern Europe, there is little doubt that it is identical with the Indian bird, which thus appears also to inhabit Northern Africa, South-eastern Europe, and Western Africa. "In India this Wagtail comes in towards the end of September, and does not quit the north of India, till the end of April or beginning of May. It is exceedingly abundant in every part of India, usually assembling in considerable flocks and feeding among cattle, picking up the insects disturbed by their feet while grazing. These birds also frequent damp meadow ground near rivers or tanks, grain fields, where they may be often put up with the so-called Ortolan (_Calandrella brachydactyla_) during the heat of the day, and, late in the season, they may always be seen taking advantage of any shade--a tree, stone, small clump or paling, to shelter them from the mid-day heat. Now and then a few may be seen about houses in gardens and roads, occasionally even perching on a housetop or paling, but very rarely on trees. Many are snared at Calcutta and elsewhere to be served up as Ortolan."

According to our own observations by far the greater number of these Wagtails pass the winter in Central Africa, and we have also seen them constantly in Egypt at that season, wandering about the pastures with the cattle, and even accompanying them to their drinking-places.

THE YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL.

The YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL (_Budytes citreolus_), a native of Central Asia, is somewhat larger than the species above described. Its length is seven inches, its breadth ten and a half, the wing measures three inches and a half, and the tail three inches and one-third. The summer plumage of the male is of a bright citron-yellow on the head and entire under side; the nape and upper portion of the back are black, the centre of the back slate-grey, and the rump brownish black. The small feathers on the wing-covers are greyish brown, broadly edged with dark grey, the centre and large feathers are margined with broad white borders, which alone are visible; the primaries and lower secondaries have narrow white edges, and the upper secondaries a broad white border to the outer web; the eight central tail-feathers are brownish black, and those at the exterior almost entirely white. The eye is brown, the beak and feet black. The female, who is not so large as her mate, is yellow on the brow, and greyish green on the top of the head and nape; the back is dark grey, the rump deep slate-colour; the cheeks and under side are of paler yellow than in the male, and the white lines on the wings narrower and more clearly defined. The young are grey above, and white shaded with yellow on the under side. Radde informs us that some few of these birds are met with in the central parts of Western Siberia, and that further east they become very numerous. According to Jerdon they are found throughout India during the winter, and there, as elsewhere, frequent marsh-land or the immediate vicinity of water.

"This species," says Jerdon, "is remarkable for the great length of the hind claw. It is found all over India in the cold weather, being migratory, and probably breeding in North-eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is not very abundant, and is never found in dry places, like the Indian Field Wagtail, but on the banks of lakes or rivers, and more particularly in swampy ground or in inundated rice-fields, apparently affecting concealment more than others of this group. It has been obtained in breeding plumage at Mussooree, and is then a very beautiful bird."

THE GOMARITA, OR GARDEN WAGTAIL.

The GOMARITA, or GARDEN WAGTAIL (_Nemoricola Indica_), has been separated from the bird above described on account of the shortness of the claw on the hinder toe, and the peculiar coloration of its plumage. The upper part of the body is greenish brown, the under side yellowish white; a double band of black passes over the breast, and a white stripe above the eye; the blackish wings are decorated with two white lines, and a third stripe passes across the base of the primary quills; the centre tail-feather is brown, the next in succession are blackish, and those at the exterior white, but blackish at the root, and edged with brown on the outer web. The eye is brown, the upper mandible pale black, the lower mandible whitish; the foot is light yellow, shaded with purplish brown. This bird is six inches and a half long, and ten broad; the wing measures three inches and one-eighth, and the tail two inches and five-eighths.

The Garden Wagtails are found throughout India, Ceylon, China, and Japan; according to Jerdon they are comparatively rarely seen in Southern and Central India, but are very numerous on some of the surrounding islands. Everywhere they frequent woods, forests, shady gardens, and plantations, living in solitude except during the breeding season, after which they remain for some time assembled in small parties or families. These birds do not migrate, and they moult their feathers but once in the year. Layard tells us that the Gomarita, or "Dung Spreader," as this species is called in Ceylon, receives its name from its habit of seeking for insects in the droppings from the cattle.

"The Black-breasted Wagtail," writes Jerdon, "is found throughout the whole peninsula of India and Ceylon, but is common nowhere; it is indeed rare in the southern provinces and in the bare table-land of Central India, and is not recorded from the North-western Provinces nor the Himalayas. It extends to Arracan, Burmah, Malacca, and some of the Malayan islands, where it is much more common than in continental India. I have only procured it myself in my own garden and on the Malabar coast. It appears not uncommonly about Calcutta, and, according to Blyth, at all seasons. It is quite a wood-loving species, never being found in the open plains, nor, that I have seen, about rivers, being chiefly found in shady gardens and orchards, and in roads in the forests. It is usually solitary, and feeds on various insects. It has no seasonal change of colouring, and appears to be found, at all events in the more northern parts of India, all the year round."

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The SWALLOW WAGTAILS (_Enicurus_) are large and powerfully-built birds, inhabiting India and the Malay Islands; they are easily distinguished from their European congeners, by their comparatively strong beak, more rounded wing, in which the secondary quills are not prolonged, and their robust feet. The beak is of moderate size, strong, straight, broad at its base, furnished with a keel at its culmen, and gently curved at its extremity, which is slightly incised; the toes are armed with very hooked claws, the fourth and fifth, sometimes the fifth and sixth, exceed the rest in length. The extremity of the tail is so deeply forked that the centre feather is not more than one-third as long as those at the exterior.

All the species of Swallow Wagtails with which we are acquainted inhabit mountain regions, and are numerously met with in their favourite resorts among the rocks. They are always found in the vicinity of streamlets or waterfalls, into which they frequently wade. In their habits they resemble other members of their family, and, except after the breeding season, live alone or in pairs.

THE MENINTING.

The MENINTING (_Enicurus Leschenhaulti_, or _Enicurus coronatus_) is black upon the upper part of the body, neck, and breast, and white upon the crest and under side; the black wings are decorated with a broad white stripe, the outer tail-feathers are pure white, the rest black, broadly tipped with white; the beak is black, and the foot yellow. The length of the body is about ten or eleven inches. The Meninting is an inhabitant of the Malay Islands, where it frequents the mountain regions, and is usually met with near shallow lakes or streams, at an elevation of from sixteen hundred to four thousand feet above the sea. Bernstein tells us that he saw one of these birds on the Pangerango, at an altitude of ten thousand feet, but this must be regarded as a very unusual occurrence. In disposition this species is gentle and timid, but, if unmolested, will allow a stranger to approach without testifying any alarm, merely flitting a few paces farther off should the intruder come too near the spot on which it is perched. When excited the Meninting raises its crest, repeatedly jerks its closed tail upwards, and then, spreading it like a fan, slowly lowers it. Its voice resembles that of the White Wagtail. The nest, which is invariably placed upon the ground at no great distance from water, is frequently made in a small hollow in the earth, this being lined with moss, upon which a layer of half-decayed leaves is arranged to form an elastic bed for the young family. The eggs are of a dull greenish or yellowish white, thickly marked with faint red, yellow, or light brown spots; these often form a wreath at the broad end. We have never found more than two eggs in a nest. The young are tended with great devotion by their parents, who, should danger be at hand, frequently betray the presence of their brood by uttering a gentle, long-sustained note of distress. The Meninting subsists upon worms and insects, seeking its food amongst the plants that border its favourite streams. It is very partial to water, and frequently wades therein when pursuing its prey.

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The ACCENTORS (_Accentores_) may be regarded as forming the connecting link between the true Singing Birds and the strong-beaked granivorous races, more especially the Larks. They are recognisable by their powerful body, moderate-sized or long wing, in which the third or fourth quill exceeds the rest in length, as also by their short, broad tail, strong foot, armed with powerful toes, and much-curved claws. The conical awl-shaped beak turns inwards at its margins, and the nostrils are covered with a skin; the plumage is lax, and formed of feathers of a relatively large size; the sexes are alike in appearance, but the coloration of the young differs considerably from that of the adult birds. Only two species of Accentors can properly be regarded as European, the rest inhabit Asia, and are generally seen hopping over the ground or flying very low, in search of the insects, berries, or delicate seeds upon which they subsist; they never frequent lofty trees, or even tall shrubs, except during the breeding season, when the males occasionally perch upon low branches, whilst pouring out their, in most cases, very agreeable song. As winter approaches some species wander southward, while others merely quit the bleakest and most exposed peaks for their rocky fastnesses. Incubation takes place early in the spring, and two broods are generally produced in the course of the summer. Their nests are carefully and neatly built of moss and hay, and lined with some soft and elastic materials. The eggs, from three to six in number, are of greenish hue.

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The HEDGE SPARROWS, or HEDGE WARBLERS (_Tharraleus_, or _Accentor_), have a slender body, a comparatively weak and pointed beak, short, rounded wings, in which the fourth quill is the longest, a moderate-sized tail, straight or incised at its extremity, and a high foot.

THE HEDGE SPARROW, OR HEDGE WARBLER.

The TRUE HEDGE SPARROW, or HEDGE WARBLER (_Tharraleus modularis_, or _Accentor modularis_), is six inches long and eight inches and one-sixth broad, the wing measures two inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and one-quarter. The female is considerably smaller than her mate. The plumage of the adult bird is of a dusky reddish brown, spotted with a still deeper shade on the shoulder and upper part of the back; the head, fore part of the throat, and breast are brownish grey, or slate-colour. In autumn the feathers on these parts have light edges; the belly is brownish yellow, darkly spotted, and the rump greyish brown; the outer web of the quills is reddish brown, striped once, in some instances twice, with a whitish hue; the tail is of an uniform greyish brown. The eye is light brown, the beak brown, and the foot reddish. The young are reddish yellow spotted with blackish brown on the mantle, and of a whitish hue spotted with greyish black on the centre of the belly. The Hedge Sparrow inhabits the whole of Europe, from sixty-four degrees north latitude as far south as the Pyrenees, Alps, and Balkan Mountains; it is only occasionally seen still farther north, but visits Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia, regularly during its migrations. In Great Britain it remains throughout the entire year. For some time after their return to their native lands the Hedge Sparrows resort to the open country, and take up their quarters on bushes and hedges; previous to the breeding season, however, they retire to the shelter of their favourite fir or pine woods, or, though comparatively rarely, occupy groves of leafy trees; they also exhibit a decided preference for mountainous regions.

In Great Britain this brisk little bird is a common frequenter of gardens, orchards, or hedgerows, where it hops nimbly and almost incessantly from twig to twig, in search of the insects, larvæ, and seeds upon which it mainly subsists. According to Mr. Yarrell, it seldom or never touches fruit. During the winter it is a constant visitor to our farmyards and houses, and when the weather is severe is frequently reduced to seek a scanty supply of food from drains and gutters. All the movements of the Hedge Warbler are equally agile and rapid; it hops with the utmost alacrity over the surface of the ground, climbs and scrambles amid the thickest bushes with wonderful agility, and flies lightly and gracefully, not merely from bush to bush, but sometimes high into the air. Whilst in pursuit of food it usually prefers to keep within the shelter of the foliage, but when about to utter its short, sweet, and somewhat plaintive song, it perches upon a projecting branch at a considerable elevation, and, if alarmed, darts directly downwards into the innermost recesses of the brushwood or shrubs beneath. Mudie describes the voice of the Hedge Sparrow as being particularly plaintive in tone during the winter months, and remarks that in severe seasons it utters its peevish cry with an apparent feeling of suffering and desolation. The song of the males is often heard as early as January; and by the middle of February each has found a mate and retired to some quiet spot, in order to commence building operations. The nest, which is generally finished by the end of March, is loosely put together; it is formed exteriorly of moss and fibres, and within is neatly and carefully lined with interwoven horsehair and wool; both parents assist in the labour of building, and have generally completed their snug little abode by the middle of March: it is, however, exposed to danger and observation, being placed in a bush or hedge, without, as yet, the screen of leaves, and often is visited by the Cuckoo, with the view of depositing her progeny. The eggs, from four to six in number, are of a blueish green colour. The first brood is hatched in April, and a second is produced later in the season. Should the eggs be stolen from the nest, as is too frequently the case, the female will occasionally furnish a third brood. The young are hatched in about a fortnight, both father and mother sharing the tedium of incubation, and tending them with the utmost care and devotion until they are strong enough to seek their own food.

THE SIBERIAN ACCENTOR.

The SIBERIAN ACCENTOR (_Tharraleus montanellus_) is blackish brown upon the top of the head, bridles, and region of the eye; a broad yellowish white stripe passes over the eyebrow, and almost encircles the head; the nape is grey, and the back reddish brown, spotted with a deeper shade; the throat and lower tail-covers are whitish; the region of the crop and the upper part of the breast are deeply shaded with reddish yellow, and marked with crescent-shaped black spots; the sides of the breast are shaded with reddish yellow and reddish brown. The eye is pale yellowish brown, the mandibles greyish black, the lower one lightest at the base, the foot is of a dirty yellowish white. This species is from four inches and two-thirds to five inches and one-third long; the wing measures two inches and seven lines, and the tail about two inches and six lines. This beautiful bird inhabits Siberia, and has been found in Hungary, Dalmatia, and Italy.

THE ALPINE ACCENTOR.

The ALPINE ACCENTOR (_Accentor Alpinus_) represents a group of birds in appearance very closely resembling the Larks. Their beak is slightly curved and pointed, compressed at its sides, narrow towards its extremity, and broader than it is high at the base; the legs are stout, the toes thick, and the claws much hooked, but blunt; the wings, in which the third quill exceeds the rest in length, are long; the tail is short, and deeply incised; the upper portion of the body is deep grey, spotted with brown, the under side ash-grey, marked at the sides with reddish brown; the throat is white, slightly spotted with brown; the quills and tail-feathers are blackish brown, the latter spotted with white; the wings are ornamented with two white lines. Both sexes are alike in colour. The young are grey, spotted with reddish yellow; black on the back, and reddish yellow, chequered with light and dark grey, on the under side; the wing-feathers are brown, edged with rust-red, and the wings enlivened by two reddish yellow stripes. The tail is brown, and also tipped with reddish yellow; the eye is light brown, the beak yellow at the base and black at the tip; the foot is brown. This species is seven inches long and eleven and three-quarters broad; the wing measures three inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and three-quarters; the female is half an inch shorter, and three-quarters of an inch narrower than her mate.

These birds inhabit all the lofty mountains of Central and Southern Europe and Southern Asia, and are particularly numerous upon the Alps, where they are generally met with at an altitude of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet above the sea. They are also occasional visitors to the south of Great Britain. In winter they usually descend to the plains and valleys in search of seeds, but return to their favourite haunts as soon as the snow has melted from the surface of the rocks; they are then to be seen running lightly or flying from one peak to another, as they pour out their clear, melodious song, many notes of which will bear comparison with those of the Lark itself. Their disposition appears to be somewhat capricious; at one time they are all life and activity, at another perfectly quiescent. Gloger explains this peculiarity by telling us that they are only brisk and lively while searching for food, and that their change of demeanour is attributable to the process of digestion that is being carried on as they sit erect and motionless often for a whole half hour at a time. While hopping on the ground the Alpine Acceptor carries its tail slightly elevated, sometimes so high as to be raised above the wings. The flight of these birds is light and rapid, and capable of being sustained for a very considerable distance; but, under ordinary circumstances, they keep near the ground, and only soar into the air during the breeding season. Towards man they exhibit the utmost confidence, and are frequently to be seen hopping about close to a party of mountaineers or group of shepherds, quite indifferent to and apparently almost unconscious of the voices and movements around them. Insects, spiders, seeds, and berries constitute their principal food, and they devour grass seed, in particular, in great quantities. The nest, according to Schinz, is commenced early in the spring, and is situated in clefts or holes of the rock, or amid Alpine rose bushes; sometimes on the roofs of houses, care being generally taken that the little structure is so placed as to be completely sheltered from wind and weather. The nest, which is circular and semi-conical, is three inches both in diameter and in depth; it is constructed alternately of grass and moss, and lined with wool, hair, or similar materials. The eggs, from four to five in number, are of an oval shape, smooth, and of a blueish green. It is at present undecided whether the female is assisted by her mate in the work of incubation. Two broods are produced in the year, the first in May, the second in July.

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The TITS (_Pari_), although differing in many respects, resemble each other in most essential particulars. All are of small size, with compact bodies and short limbs. The beak is conical, straight, and short, with sharp margins, compressed at its sides and pointed at its tip; the feet are sturdy, the toes powerful and of moderate size, and the claws comparatively large and very much hooked. The wings, in which the fourth or fifth quill is the longest, are short and rounded; the tail short, and either straight or very slightly incised at its extremity; occasionally it is very long, and graduated at its sides. The plumage, which is thick, and composed of long and lax feathers, is bright and elegant in its coloration.