78 OUR RARER BIRDS 



certain parts of the mountain stream, and in winter they un- 

 erringly return to their old quarters. 



The little parties of Gray Wagtails that frequent the 

 lowland streams in winter disband at the first sign of spring's 

 approach. By the end of March they have separated into 

 pairs, and retired to spend their honeymoon on the banks 

 of the bright purling mountain streams. But the warm 

 April sunshine has burst the buds on the alder trees, and the 

 pale green fronds of the bracken are slowly uncurling, ere the 

 Gray Wagtail seeks out a site by the stream for its simple 

 little nest. This is seldom, if ever, built far from the water, 

 and in many cases but a few inches from it. A favourite 

 place is under some piece of overhanging rock on the sloping- 

 bank amongst tall grass and other herbage. It is sometimes 

 concealed under a large stone, half -buried in bramble and 

 fern, or amongst a mass of drifted rubbish brought down by 

 the stream during the winter floods. Less frequently it is 

 built on a low stump close to the water. The nest is very 

 similar to those of the other Wagtails, being carefully if 

 loosely put together. The outside is almost entirely com- 

 posed of dry roots and bits of coarse grass; the inside is 

 lined with finer roots and a thick bed of hair or feathers. In 

 nests which are lined with feathers, but little if any hair is used; 

 and in those which are lined with hair, feathers are seldom 

 seen. Hair is most frequently employed, being the easiest 

 to obtain, as masses of it can generally be found clinging to 

 posts and tree trunks where the cattle come to drink or rub 

 themselves. Year after year the Gray Wagtail returns to its 

 old nesting-place, and makes its new home a few feet away 

 from that of the previous season even if it is frequently dis- 

 turbed. We may thus infer that the birds pair for life. The 

 eggs are from four to six in number, and vary considerably in 

 coloration, although those in the same nest are generally 

 pretty uniform in tint. They vary from greenish -brown to 



