i oo Summer Studies of Birds and Books CHAP. 



one is typical of a black series, another of a yellow 

 series ; while the third has something to show us both 

 of black and yellow. Our British Wagtails, then, are 

 well worth careful study ; for, however far an inquirer 

 may travel in quest of Wagtails, he is not likely to find 

 any, either in museums or in nature, which do not 

 come near to one of these three types. 



Let us begin with the black and white bird ; him at 

 least we can hardly fail to find at any time of the year. 

 But where shall we look for him ? Not necessarily by 

 the brook-side ; but if a farmyard pond is at hand, 

 or a bit of shallow in the stream a miniature ford, 

 perhaps, with stepping-stones you may do well to 

 give a glance there. In spring or autumn try a field 

 which is being ploughed ; the first field the farmer 

 turns is sure to have its Pied Wagtails. If they 

 chance to be on migration they will collect there 

 to enjoy the minute creatures which the plough ex- 

 poses, and you may see scores and even hundreds 

 of them hard at work together. The chance will be 

 a good one, if it be autumn, for noting the variety of 

 plumage in both old and young, and for making so 

 sure of this bird that you can never mistake him for 

 his whiter cousin of the Continent. In the breeding 

 season a freshly-mown lawn has a great attraction for 

 him ; the meadow grass is then either growing to hay 

 or getting so thick and coarse that it is not easy to 

 find the insects in it. I fancy too that all Wagtails 



