THE WAGTAILS. 10 1 



southern migration of the Russian birds would be along the 

 line of Eastern Africa. 



Habits. — The present bird is more of a "Field" Wagtail than 

 any of the foregoing species, and on its arrival in spring, often 

 as early as March, it frequents the land by the sea-shore, as- 

 sembling in the pastures in small flocks, and attracting attention 

 by its brilliant yellow plumage, which rivals that of a Canary. 

 For some time after its arrival inland the flocks keep together in 

 the pastures, before they break up into pairs for the nesting 

 season. In the autumn these Yellow Wagtails also assemble in 

 flocks in the pasture lands near the sea-shore, feeding generally 

 round the cattle, and catching the ' 6 insects disturbed by the 

 latter, in the usual graceful manner of Wagtails. At night they 

 retire to roost in the neighbouring reed-beds in large numbers. 



Nest. — On the ground, well-concealed, built under a turf or 

 stone, sometimes in a bank. It is composed of rootlets or dry 

 grass, and Mr. Cullingford informed Mr. Seebohm that the 

 materials varied greatly, the lining consisting sometimes of hair, 

 at other times of feathers or roots. 



Eggs. — Four to six in number. They vary extremely in colour 

 and markings. Some are uniform pale olive-brown, some 

 darker olive, while others are nearly uniform pinkish-brown. 

 Another type resembles the greenish-olive egg of the Sedge- 

 Warbler, and even has an occasional hair-line of black, as is so 

 often seen in the eggs of that bird. Other eggs of the Yellow 

 Wagtail are like those of the Reed Warbler, having a greenish- 

 white ground mottled all over with greenish-brown and under- 

 lying markings of grey. Some of the eggs with the ground- 

 colour greenish-white have the spots collected round the larger 

 end so as to form a ring. Axis, 07-0-6 inch ; diam. o*55-o"6. 



V. THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. MOTACILLA FLAVA. 



Motacilla flava, Linn., S. N., i., p. 331 (1766); Newt. ed. 

 Yarr., i., p. 558 (1874) ; Dresser, B. Eur., iii., p. 261, 

 pi. 129 (1875); B. O. U. List. Br. B., p. 31 (1883); 

 Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 20S (1884); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus., x., p. 516, pi. vi., figs. 3, 5 (1885); Lilford, Col 

 Fig. Br. B., pt. vi. (1888) ; Saunders, Man., p. 119(1889). 



Budytes flava, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 2o3 (1839). 



