366 MOTACILLID.E. 



rick ; occasionally it has been found occupying a cavity in a 

 peat stack, or a wall of turf sod, but always in the vicinity of 

 water. The eggs are four or five in number ; white, speckled 

 with ash-colour, nine lines in length, and seven lines in 

 breadth. 



Mr. Jesse, in his " Gleanings in Natural History," records 

 an instance of a Water Wagtail building her nest in one of 

 the workshops of a manufactory at Taunton. " The room 

 was occupied by braziers, and the noise produced by them 

 was loud and incessant. The nest was built near the wheel 

 of a lathe, which revolved within a foot of it. In this 

 strange situation the bird hatched four young ones ; but the 

 male, not having accustomed himself to such company, in- 

 stead of feeding the nestlings himself, as is usual, carried 

 such food as he collected to a certain spot on the roof, where 

 he left it, and from whence it was borne by his mate to the 

 young. It is still more remarkable that she was perfectly 

 familiar with the men into whose shop she had intruded, and 

 flew in and out of it without fear. If by chance a stranger, or 

 any other of the persons employed in the same factory, en- 

 tered the room, she would, if in her nest, instantly quit it, or, 

 if absent, would not return ; the moment, however, that they 

 were gone, she resumed her familiarity." 



When the young are able to follow the parents, the little 

 family may be seen in meadows very busy about the feet of 

 cattle while grazing, availing themselves, as White observes, 

 of the flies that settle on their legs, and probably feeding on 

 the worms and larvae that are roused by the trampling of 

 their feet. 



The Pied Wagtail is exceedingly common over the whole 

 of the United Kingdom ; and in all the southern parts it is 

 resident throughout the year. In summer it is observed 

 in the Scottish islands ; but is more numerous in Orkney 

 than in Shetland, and quits both these northern parts as 



