WAGTAILS, FLYCATCHERS, ETC. 47 



stage in which the young are content to be 

 fed entirely by their parents through that in 

 which they supplement the supply by their 

 own efforts, until finally little difference in 

 skill is to be noticed between old birds and 

 the young. This family appear to resent the 

 intrusion of other birds on their domain (as 

 shown in their behaviour towards swallows), 

 and I have seen them persistently drive away 

 young yellow wagtails who presumed to 

 trespass on their hunting ground. 



Yellow wagtails are not so often seen in 

 the garden, though they are plentiful enough 

 in the neighbourhood. They are lively and 

 attractive and their bright colour contrasts 

 strongly with the freshly ploughed earth so 

 that their arrival is always noticed by the 

 farmers and seems to interest them more than 

 the coming of any other migrant except the 

 cuckoo. 



Meadow pipits are common in the fields 

 around, but I cannot remember ever to have 

 seen one actually in the garden. On a rough 

 bit of ground near the Ship Canal bridge 

 they are always to be found, and I have 

 watched one there for twenty minutes or more 

 at a time as he soared up to a considerable 

 height, singing all the time, and then came 

 down again to the ground with wings and 

 tail spread out, after the manner of a tree- 

 pipit, with a little musical twitter just as he 

 landed. It kept repeating this performance 



