158 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



sound ; I am not aware that the male bird has any 

 true song. I have not examined the stomachs of any 

 of this species, but their principal food evidently 

 consists of insects, varied, according to Yarrell, by 

 small freshwater mollusks. The nest, usually placed 

 in a hole of a wall or in a stony bank, much resembles 

 that of the Pied Wagtail, but is considerably smaller. 

 The eggs are usually five in number, of a creamy 

 white, closely blotched or clouded with pale yellowish 

 brown, and may be distinguished from those of the 

 commoner Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla rayi) by their 

 larger size and the absence of the hair-like dark 

 streaks which in most cases are found on the eggs 

 of the latter bird. I do not recollect to have seen 

 the Grey Wagtail in Northamptonshire earlier than 

 about the middle of vSeptember or later than the end 

 of March. I may mention that our country-people 

 confuse this species with the Yellow Wagtail, and 

 generally call the young Pied Wagtail " Grey Dish- 

 washer." 



67. YELLOW WAGTAIL. 



Motacilla rayi. 



This bird, which is a very common summer visitor 

 to many parts of England, cannot be called abundant 

 in our neighbourhood; it arrives in small numbers 

 about the beginning of April, and from that time till 

 the middle or latter end of September a pair may be 

 found here and there, generally haunting a rough 

 fallow-field or badly-drained pasture-land. This 

 species is much more arboreal in its habits than the 

 two birds last described, and may often be seen 

 perched on a low bush or fence. The nest is built 



