BIRDS 



or opening, which may be either in a build- 

 ing or old tree. During a very long period 

 of observation the present writer has only 

 discovered three nests. 



38. Pied Wagtail. Motadlla lugubris, Tem- 



minck. 



As a resident bird the pied wagtail is not 

 abundant, though common, and the nest is 

 less frequently seen than formerly. The 

 flights, chiefly of young birds, which repair 

 to the Avon and other streams are fewer in 

 number and smaller. The osier beds near 

 the castle at Warwick used formerly to be 

 a favourite roosting place with this bird. In 

 the autumn the number is materially increased 

 by arrivals which probably pass on, as they 

 are not often seen in mid-winter, though a 

 few frequent the sheepfolds, and sometimes 

 suffer severely from the wool and earth which 

 tightly clogs their toes. 



39. White Wagtail. Motadlla alba, Linn. 

 As a Warwickshire bird the record was 



for some time confined to a single occur- 

 rence ; that of an adult male which was seen 

 by the writer feeding on the mud in a ditch 

 in close proximity to the bridge over the 

 Avon at Stratford. The beautiful pearly 

 grey of the back will at once distinguish this 

 species from the pied wagtail. Mr. Steele 

 Elliott reports a pair which appeared in the 

 park at Sutton Cold field on 8 May, 1897, 

 and it may be confidently expected to appear 

 in other localities in the county. 



40. Grey Wagtail. Motadlla mefanope, Pallas. 

 Except as an autumn visitor this species 



is rare in the county, and has never been re- 

 corded as breeding in it, and only once has 

 it come under the notice of the present writer 

 in full summer plumage. In the early part 

 of the summer of 1898 Mr. C. C. Jones of 

 Loxley Hall shot one with a full black throat 

 near the village of Loxley, which is now in 

 his collection. In the district around Bir- 

 mingham it has been observed in summer 

 dress, and Mr. Chase has suggested the proba- 

 bility of its sometimes breeding there. The 

 sides of streams are the haunts of the grey 

 wagtail, and it is most frequently seen just 

 when the various water-plants have rotted 

 down and lie in masses in the water. On 

 these it loves to run and flit. 



[Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail. Motadlla 

 flava, Linn. 



A bird of this species was shot at Welford- 

 on-Avon in the county of Gloucester only 

 two hundred yards from the Avon where it 

 divides that county from Warwickshire.] 



41. Yellow Wagtail. Motadlla rait (Bona- 



parte) 



An abundant bird all through the sum- 

 mer, breeding freely in cultivated fields and 

 meadows, and generally distributed in the 

 county. 



42. Tree-Pipit. Anthus trivia/is (Linn.) 

 Common and generally distributed in the 



county all through the summer, and is to 

 be seen chiefly in meadows and pastures. 



43. Meadow-Pipit. Anthus pratensis (Linn.) 

 A common resident which breeds in the 



county and is met with in sheepfolds in the 

 winter, and also in meadows which have re- 

 cently been flooded. In the latter places it 

 seems to find abundance of food left by the 

 receding water. 



44. Rock-Pipit. Anthus obscurus (Latham) 

 This bird appears occasionally on the Avon, 



though but rarely. Some years ago several 

 were shot near Warwick and brought to 

 John Spicer of that town for preservation, 

 some of which are in the writer's collection. 

 As it is known to frequent the broad water 

 of the Severn its appearance on the Avon 

 might be expected more frequently. 



45. Golden Oriole. Oriolus ga/bu/a, Linn. 

 A good many years since two golden orioles, 



probably a pair, were shot on the estate of 

 Sir Robert Peel near Tamworth, and brought 

 to John Spicer of Warwick for preservation. 

 There is also a record in the Zoologist in 1871 

 of the occurrence of a bird of this species 

 at Barton near Tamworth. About twenty 

 years ago a fine male was shot at Ilming- 

 ton near the boundary of Warwickshire and 

 brought to Mr. G. Quatremayne of Strat- 

 ford, in whose hands it remained for some 

 time and was seen by the present writer. 

 The last named bird was repeatedly seen 

 in and near the village of Ilmington before 

 being shot. 



46. Great Grey Shrike. Lanius excubitor, Linn. 

 The present, though a rare bird, has too 



frequently appeared in the county to render 

 a close enumeration of the instances necessary. 

 Specimens were years ago brought to John 

 Spicer of Warwick for preservation, and others 

 were subsequently received by H. Coombs 

 of Stratford-on-Avon, namely in the winter 

 of 1844-5 ar >d 1846-7. More recently 

 Mr. Hunt of Alcester has received specimens 

 which were shot in the county. One which 

 was taken near Stratford in the winter of 

 1 844-5 was secured in the following manner. 



193 



