THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 341 



they commence the spring migration of this particular group of Wag- 

 tails, for they appear almost invariably, in company with the first 

 old males of M. flava, about the beginning of the last ten days of 

 April, if the weather is warm. The migration of the latter species, 

 however, extends into June, while M. rayi is rarely met with later 

 than the middle of May. M. melanocephala is the last to 

 arrive here, never making its appearance before the end of 

 May, accompanied by stragglers of M. flava. From this late 

 migration we may conclude that the home of the individuals 

 passing here is a far northern one. It is, however, incomprehen- 

 sible where the members of M. rayi, touching on Heligoland, 

 may get to ; their only likely goal would appear to be the south of 

 Scandinavia. Dresser, however, states that they are not met with 

 in the latter district. 



The nesting range of this species, so far as this has been 

 ascertained, is very limited in extent, and scarcely stretches beyond 

 England, Scotland, and portions of northern France. The bird 

 has not been found to breed in the rest of Europe, but, strange to 

 say, is again met with as breeding bird on the lower Volga, and in 

 western Turkestan. Aeuckens has twice found the nest of this 

 Wagtail in Heligoland, the first in a potato-plot, the second in 

 long grass. In both cases the birds hatched their eggs and reared 

 their young. 



Pipit Anthus. This genus includes, according to Seebohm, 

 about forty species, which are distributed over almost all the 

 known parts of the earth. They are birds of inconspicuous 

 external appearance and modest demeanour. Six of the genus 

 are resident breeding species in Europe, with which two others are 

 associated as rare visitors : viz. Anthus richardi, from the far east 

 of Asia, and A. ludovicianus, from North America. All of these 

 occur in Heligoland. 



152. Water Pipit [WASSERPIEPER]. 

 ANTHUS AQUATICUS, Bechstein. 1 



Anthus aquaticus. Naurnann, iii. 789. 



Water Pipit. Dresser, iii. 335. 



Pipit spioncelle. Temminck, Manuel, i. 265, iii. 187, iv. 623. 



This Pipit is, like all other Alpine residents, a very rare visitor 

 to Heligoland ; so far as I have been able to determine, it has only 



1 Anthus spipoletta (Linn.). 



