SOME BIRD PROBLEMS 89 



of British birds, namely, the Wagtails, and, to take one of the 

 more familiar species, the Pied Wagtail (Motacilla lugubris), I 

 am tempted to enquire what reason can be given for this bird's 

 habit of flirting its tail in the entertaining manner it is wont to 

 do ? It is, I believe, the smallest bird that walks, and in running 

 and walking over clods of earth, in a grass meadow, on a lawn, 

 or by a stream-side, or elsewhere, it has the invariable habit of 

 moving its tail feathers rapidly up and down. The habit is so 

 common that one never stays to ask THE REASON WHY, and it 

 is as well to find out something further about these everyday 

 occurrences. 



IR 



FIG. 40. Youxo P.LUE TITS. 



The Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) has a habit, when 

 flushed from the nest, of flying low over the surrounding herbage, 

 and feigning a broken wing, or being wounded. The reason 

 assigned for this is that the bird may lure the observer from its 

 nest, and, whilst this may be true, the explanation would be 

 more satisfactory if we could ascertain how the bird has come 

 to adopt such a capital ruse, and why, if it succeeds in accom- 

 plishing its object, it should be one of the few birds which adopts 

 the habit in question. 



The Family Paridce contains those most entertaining and 

 active birds, the Titmice, and, although there are several points 

 of interest one would like to mention concerning them, I will 

 content myself by drawing attention to the large clutches of 

 eggs which these birds produce, e.g. Blue Titmouse (Parus 

 cceruleus obscurus), 7-12 ; Coal Titmouse (Parus ater britannicus), 

 6-9 ; Great Titmouse (Parus major newtoni), 6-12 ; Long-tailed 

 Titmouse (dEgithalus caudatus roseus), 6-12 or more ; Marsh 

 Titmouse (Parus palustris dresseri), 6-8. Is there any special 

 reason why these birds should produce such large clutches of 



