92 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST, 
leaves us in March or the beginning of April, in some 
instances partially attaining the black feathers of the 
chin. 
I have had the pleasure of meeting with two speci- 
mens of the Grey-headed Wagtail (M. neglecta, Gould). 
One was in my own courtyard in the summer of 1855, 
where I saw it several times during the day. The 
absence of any yellow on the rump, the darker colour of 
the legs, and the conspicuous black mark under the chin 
enabled me readily to distinguish it. The other occurred 
a few days later, and when I saw it, was busily engaged 
in feeding by the side of the stream in the village where 
it is crossed by the bridge, below which the water 
spreads out over a gravelly bed, and is very shallow. Here 
it was running nimbly along the edge of the water, and 
sometimes into it, rapidly seizing small aquatic insects, 
and twice it flew up and settled on a large stone in the 
middle of the stream, which was so far below the surface 
that the little bird looked as if it was swimming ; but it 
seemed to have no fear of being carried off its legs. I 
watched its sprightly movements for nearly half-an-hour 
with great interest, and all the more so from its being a 
rare species. It often approached within a few yards of 
the bridge on which I stood, but at length flew away. 
I have little doubt these were a pair, as from the duller 
tints of the one I have last mentioned, I conjectured it 
to be the female. I looked in vain during the summer 
for their reappearance. 
But if the last two species are somewhat rare, the 
Yellow, or Ray’s Wagtail (IM. flava, Linn.), is by no 
means so, but is constantly to be found in the meadows 
during the summer. Though not nearly so long as the 
three first named species, yet to my mind it is the 
