YELLOW WAGTAIL. 213 
its bird-life of a meadow amongst the Dutch dykes, except that in the 
former the commonest bird is the Yellow Wagtail, and in the latter the 
Blue-headed Wagtail. The Yellow Wagtail is the island form of the Blue- 
headed Wagtail; but unfortunately the hypothesis which seems to explain 
the relative positions of the Pied and White Wagtails will not account for 
the existence of the Yellow Wagtail in Britain. The Yellow Wagtail is 
an eastern bird; its geographical distribution, like that of the White 
Wagtail, presents the anomaly of a discontinuous area. The true home 
of the Yellow Wagtail is in the basin of the Caspian Sea, and the 
colony in Great Britain appears to be comparatively small and isolated. 
Two explanations of this remarkable geographical distribution present 
themselves. So far as is known, the birds from both districts winter only 
in Africa, south of the Great Desert. From this vast winter home of so 
many Palearctic birds it is well known that there are two great streams of 
migration, one reaching Great Britain and the other Central Asia. It is 
possible that, in some distant age, a large body of Yellow Wagtails took 
the western instead of the eastern line of migration, and finding a suitable 
breeding-ground in the British Islands, returned thither every succeeding 
year: or we may imagine that an emigration of Yellow Wagtails from Tur- 
kestan, similar tothe great emigration of Pallas’s Sand-Grouse from the 
same district in 1868, reached our islands before the Blue-headed Wag- 
tail had crossed the Channel in any numbers. ‘The latter theory is 
supported by the fact that even at the present time stragglers occur on 
this route, and occasionally are captured on the island of Borkum, as well 
as on Heligoland. 
This common and graceful little bird is one of the first to make its 
appearance in spring. It arrives early in March in England, but does not 
appear to reach its Scotch haunts before April. The Wagtails yield the 
palm of gracefulness to none of the feathered tribes, and the present 
species is one of the most graceful. Its active sylph-like movements 
and its delicate form and lovely plumage make it a general favourite. 
It is found in well-cultivated districts, in pastures, open downs, 
sheep-walks, and commons. Early in the year, immediately after its 
arrival, it often frequents the open country near the sea on the low- 
lying coasts; but the locality in which it may always be found at this 
season is the fields where spring sowing is going on. From this fact 
observant countrymen have given it the local name of “ Seed-bird;” and 
in Scotland it is known by the name of “ Seed Lady.” 
The Yellow Wagtail is fond of associating with cattle. In summer 
almost every field, in its accustomed haunts, where cattle are grazing, is 
tenanted by a pair of these birds. They daintily run amongst the grazing 
animals, round their legs, under their bellies, and often within a few inches 
of their mouths, all the time searching busily for the insects which are so 
