File:Birds of Great Britain and Ireland, Order Passeres, complete in two volumes (1907) (14564342819).jpg

Identifier: birdsofgreatbrit01butler (find matches)
Title: Birds of Great Britain and Ireland, Order Passeres, complete in two volumes
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Butler, Arthur G. (Arthur Gardiner), 1844-1925 Grönvold, Henrik, 1858-1940 Frohawk, Frederick William, 1861-1946
Subjects: Birds Birds Passeriformes
Publisher: London : Caxton Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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e can be made to express glee) he undoubtedly appeared to laughmuch as one sees a dog do when playing. He was always ready to fight me, butnever showed the same madcap hilarity as with my wife. On several occasionswhen my servant played with him, he half spread his wings, arched his back,depressed his tail, and sang the true wild song to her: sometimes in thespring he sang from his percli, but not often.* All insectivorous birds make more or less interesting pets when hand-reared ;but none are so satisfactory as the Wagtails (doubtless the other species would bequite as pleasing as the Pied) ; even when caught wild, most examples of iMofaciliasoon become tame if kindly treated: they are easy to feed, living for years uponcrumbled household bread, yolk of egg and ants cocoons, moistened (either by the * Since I first described him, little Chizzic has passed away: even lo the last he tried to bearup, making an effort to play at fighting when so weak that he staggered wildlv in his walk.
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^ , The White Wagtail. i8i addition of a little water or mashed potato) and a few insects, their larvae, orspiders from time to time. But, unless hand-reared neither the Pied-, nor anyother Wagtail, should be kept in a cage; and certainly, when possible, the libertyof a room should be allowed for a short time each day to a caged specimen; eventhen, at its autumn moult the pet cage bird fails to cast the scales on the tarsi,which yearly pile up on the front of its feet and much disfigure it. Family -MOTALILLID.E. The White Wagtail. Motacilla alba, LiNN. DISTRIBUTED over the whole of Europe and breeding as far north as landextends : it is also believed to breed in Egypt, and it certainly does soin the Highlands of Palestine, Asia Minor and Persia, to which countriesit is also a winter visitor. In the autumn the European birds travel southwards,wintering in Southern Europe, North Africa, southward to Senegal and eastwardto Zanzibar. It is also said sometimes to visit the Canaries. Mr. Bo

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