142 PIED WAGTAIL. 



may frequently be seen washing themselves on the 

 shallow margin. 



The song of the Pied Wagtail has been described as 

 short and loud, " putting you in mind of the twitter of 

 a Sw^allow ". It is not often heard. It feeds, as 

 above stated, on insects ; it is also said to enjoy 

 minnows. It has been kept in confinement. 



The plumage of these birds undergoes several 

 changes. In the breeding plumage the forehead, sides 

 of the head and neck are pure white, the general 

 colour of the remaining upper parts is black ; the tail 

 is black, edged with white ; the chin and breast are 

 black, the rest of the under parts white. 



The nest is placed in all sorts of positions, generally 

 near water, but by no means always ; sometimes in a 

 hole in a wall or bank, a hollow in a heap of stones, 

 in the roots of trees, or in an ivied wall. For several 

 years past at Queenwood, a pair has built in a loft 

 filled with rubbish, over the Science Laboratory. 

 The birds return each season and the nest is placed 

 between the rafters forming the floor, a new nest 

 being built each time. The birds enter in a gap 

 between the slates and the wall. They generally 

 rear two broods in the year. 



The nest is built of dry grass, moss, roots, and 

 leaves, and lined with wool, hair, and sometimes 

 feathers. It is a favourite nest for the Cuckoo to 

 select. 



The eggs, four to six, are of a bluish-white or grey 

 colour, thickly spotted and speckled with small greyish- 

 brown markings. They much resemble some varieties 

 of the House Sparrow, and I have known many a 

 youthful collector "done" by some astute country lad 

 with eggs to sell. 



