284 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



THE YELLOW WAGTAIL 



(Motacilla raii). 

 Plate 98. 



We come now to the representative of a group of 

 Wagtails distinguished, among other details, by the pre- 

 dominance of yellow in their plumage. This feature is 

 sufficient to mark off these birds from any other British 

 Wagtails, but the differentiation of the various species 

 or races of Yellow Wagtails is a matter of great difficulty. 

 In fact, the field - naturalist may well be pardoned for 

 giving up the attempt as hopeless at present, when we 

 consider that even scientists, working with specimens in 

 the hand, are not yet by any means agreed on the various 

 points, and have the whole subject of the classification 

 and nomenclature of these birds under consideration. 



Only one Yellow Wagtail is a common British breeding 

 bird, and that is the one which received the name in the 

 days before further observations had revealed the com- 

 plexities and difficulties of the subject. In virtue of its 

 position as type, it may, however, still be called the 

 Yellow Wagtail. 



The Yellow Wagtail, then, is a summer visitor to the 

 greater part of England, the southern half of Scotland, 

 and a few localities towards the north-west of Ireland. 

 To Wales, the south-west of England, and the east of 

 Ireland it is only a migrant, and elsewhere it is rare. 

 Our breeding birds appear to arrive chiefly in April, and 

 by the south - eastern corner of Great Britain. The 

 autumn emigration occurs in August and September. 



The banks of streams are not much favoured by this 

 bird, damp meadows being the typical haunts ; and 



