. Birds and their nests . Birds; Birds. 8o TJie Wagtail. The ordinary note of this bird, uttered rapidly if alarmed, is a sort of c//£^/, cheep. In the summer morning, however, it maybe heard singing a pleasant, mellow and modulated little song. Like the swallow, for which it is a match in elegance, it lives entirely on insects. If you would only stand silently for a few minutes by a water-side, where it haunts, you would be delighted with the grace and activity of its movements. " There it stands," says one of its friends, " on the top of a stone, gently vibrating its tail, as
. Birds and their nests . Birds; Birds. 8o TJie Wagtail. The ordinary note of this bird, uttered rapidly if alarmed, is a sort of c//£^/, cheep. In the summer morning, however, it maybe heard singing a pleasant, mellow and modulated little song. Like the swallow, for which it is a match in elegance, it lives entirely on insects. If you would only stand silently for a few minutes by a water-side, where it haunts, you would be delighted with the grace and activity of its movements. " There it stands," says one of its friends, " on the top of a stone, gently vibrating its tail, as if balancing itself. An insect flies near ; it darts off, flutters a moment in the air, seizes its prey, and settles on another stone, spreading and vibrating its tail. Presently it makes another sally, flutters around for a while, seizes two or three insects, glides over the ground, swerving to either side, then again takes its stand on a ; Not unfrequently too it may be seen on the roof of a house, or in a village street, still in pursuit of Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Howitt, Mary Botham, 1799-1888. New York : G. Routledge
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Keywords: ., bookauthorhowi, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
