142 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
habits than the rest of its congeners, being often 
found in arable land. It is said to be particularly 
fond of peas and beans: it also frequents lawns, 
meadows and pasture lands, and is often to be found 
amongst sheep and cattle, catching the insects which 
they disturb. Its food consists almost entirely of 
flies and other insects. 
The nest is placed on the ground, and is formed 
of dry bents and roots, and lined with hair. 
The Yellow Wagtail is a very beautiful bird, the 
colouring, especially of the breast and under parts, 
being extremely bright; the beak is black; the 
irides hazel; the head, ear-coverts, neck, back, 
scapulars and tail-coverts olive-green; there is a 
streak of bright yellow over the eyes and ear- 
coverts; wing-coverts and tertials brown, edged 
with dull white; primaries and secondaries brown ; 
tail dusky, almost black, except the two outside 
feathers, which are white on the outer, with a streak 
of white on the inner, web; throat, breast and all 
the under parts a very bright rich yellow; legs, toes 
and claws black. The female is not so bright as the 
male, and the young bird of the year has the under 
parts of a much less bright yellow, partially mixed 
with white, and on the breast inclining to olive- 
green. 
Lhe egg is something like that of the Stonechat, 
and is occasionally mistaken for it: it is, however, 
rather larger; the colour is much the same—a 
