178 YELLOW WAGTAIL. 



somewhat after the manner of the Flycatchers. They are of 

 a gentle and affectionate disposition among themselves, and 

 are generally seen in pairs, but in the autumn in small 

 families— the parents and their offsprmg. 



The sylph-hke motions which distinguish the rest of its 

 tribe, belong equall}' to the species before us, as well as the 

 vibration of its body, and the expansion of the feathers of 

 the tail, especiall}^ on first alighting. Its flight is extremely 

 graceful — a series of lengthened undulations. 



Its food consists of insects, and these it seeks both on the 

 'high and diw' upland, and in moist and low situations. 



Its note, which is a double one, is rather shrill. 



The nest is placed on the ground, or near it on the stump 

 of a tree, and is comj^acted of dry stalks and fibres, and 

 lined mth hair. Meyer describes one made of moss, ^^^.th a 

 few tufts of grass outside, and a few horse-hairs A\'ithin. 



The eggs, four or five or six in number, are pale brown, 

 or greenish white, sprinkled all over with a darker shade, in 

 some very obscurely, of grey, or pale rufous or yellomsh 

 brown; some specimens are nearly plain dull yellow, slightly 

 marbled over; these are said to be smaller in size. They 

 are of a rather long oval form. The young birds are able 

 to fly about the eud of May. 



Male; length, six inches and three quarters; bill, black; iris, 

 dark brown, over it is a line of yellow; forehead, yellow; 

 sides of the head, cro^^^i, neck, and nape behind, yellow, \vith 

 a tinge of greyish green; chin, throat, and breast, rich 

 yellow; back, pale greenish brown, the middle part of the 

 feathers being brown, and their margins yellowish green. 



The mngs expand to the width of ten inches and a half; 

 the first three quill feathers are of nearly equal length, the 

 second the longest, the first nearlv as lono;: Yarrell describes 

 the first as the longest; probably diflerent specimens vary in 

 this respect, as already shewn in the case of Montagu's Harrier. 

 Greater and lesser wing coverts, dusky bro\\Ti, the first row 

 tipped with pale yellow; primaries, dusky browm, edged with 

 dull yellowish white; secondaries, dusky brown, edged with 

 yellowish white; tertiaries, dusky brown, edged and tipped with 

 yellowish white; greater and lesser under wing coverts, grepsh. 

 The tail is long, and slightly rounded, its feathers narrow, 

 dusky in colour, slightly edged near the base with yellow, 

 the iiiiddle feathers edged vdth greenish yellow, the two outer 

 ones on each side nearly white on the outer web, and the shaft, 



