GKEY M'AGTAIL. 371 



northern counties, migrating in autumn to become a winter 

 visiter in those of the south ; these changes of locality being 

 generally made in September and April. It is even rather 

 more an aquatic bird than our Pied Wagtail, being seldom 

 seen except about marshes and water meadows, or on the 

 banks or sides of streams. In such situations, and somewhat 

 solitary in their habits, a pair of Grey Wagtails may be seen, 

 shifting from place to place with undulating flight, or run- 

 ning with rapid steps along the margin of, and sometimes 

 wading in, the shallow water in search of various insects, 

 and are known to avail themselves of one very numerous 

 species of fresh-water bivalve, C^clas cornea of Dr. Turton, 

 as food. These birds have also been observed to run upon 

 the tops of the weeds, which are partly submerged in the 

 ditches, and probably feed upon the various species of water- 

 beetles, Dyticus and Gi/rtnus, vt'hich are almost always to 

 be found in those situations. 



The nest of this bird is placed on the ground, seldom very 

 distant from the stream it frequents, and generally on some 

 rugged part of its banks, the inequalities of the ground 

 affording concealment. The structure of the nest is similar 

 to that of the Pied Wagtail, last noticed, being formed of 

 fibrous roots and moss, lined with avooI, hair, or feathers. 

 The eggs are from five to six in number, yellowish white, 

 mottled with pale brown, varying sometimes in the depth of 

 the tint ; the eggs are about eight lines and a half in length, 

 and seven lines in breadth. Mr. Selby has observed that 

 these birds produce two broods in the season, the first of 

 Avhich is generally fledged by the end of May. The young 

 birds, till late in autumn, may be frequently seen in com- 

 pany with their parents. 



In the counties around London, the Grey Wagtail is a 

 winter visiter ; but Mr. Blyth has recorded that he " once 

 observed a pair of them upon Penge Common in Kent, at 



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