. An illustrated manual of British birds . running movements of this pretty bird, and the livelyagitation of its long tail, must be familiar to every one. Adult male in breeding-plumage : forehead and sides of the headand neck pure white, contrasting strongly with the deep black ofthe crown, nape, throat and breast ; mantle, rump and wing-coverts,black; the latter margined with white, which forms a double bar;quills blackish, the inner secondaries—nearly as long as the pri-maries—margined with white on the outer edge ; tail-feathers black,except the two outer pairs which are mainly white ; bel
. An illustrated manual of British birds . running movements of this pretty bird, and the livelyagitation of its long tail, must be familiar to every one. Adult male in breeding-plumage : forehead and sides of the headand neck pure white, contrasting strongly with the deep black ofthe crown, nape, throat and breast ; mantle, rump and wing-coverts,black; the latter margined with white, which forms a double bar;quills blackish, the inner secondaries—nearly as long as the pri-maries—margined with white on the outer edge ; tail-feathers black,except the two outer pairs which are mainly white ; belly white ;sides and flanks blackish ; bill, legs and feet black. Length 7*4 in. ;wing 3-5 in. The female has a shorter tail; the back is lead-greywith somewhat darker streaks ; and the black on the crown andbreast is less extensive. After the autumn moult both sexeslose the black chin and throat, and become greyer on the young are like those of M. alba, next to be described, butdarker on the upper parts. MOIA(ILl,ll).+:. 115. ^ ^^;? >^^m< THE WHITE MoTACiLLA ALBA, Liiinjeus. 71iis Continental representative of the familiar species alreadydescribed was first recognized in England by j\Ir. F. Bond, whofound two pairs at Kingsbury Reservoir, Middlesex, in the latter partof May 1841. Since that date it has occurred in a good manycounties of England, being not uncommon in Cornwall in spring ;and it is said to have nested in Devonshire, the Isle of Wight,Kent, Middlesex, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. observed two in September 1S83, on his lawn at Felt-well, Norfolk ; while of a pair of birds obtained with their nestand young in that county, presented to the British Museum byLord W^alsingham, the male is a White and the female is a Pied W^ag-tail. Dr. Ciinther has informed me of a similar case of interbreed-ing in Suffolk. Mr. Cordeaux mentions several occurrences inLincolnshire, in spring ; competent observers have noticed it inNottinghams
Size: 1994px × 1253px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidillustra, booksubjectbirds
