THE YELLOW WAGTAIL 



after the plough, standing for a moment on some clod of 

 earth, and all the time vigorously beating its long tail up 

 and down in the usual Wagtail-like way. Flocks of this 

 Wagtail reach our shores in March, and for some little time 

 after their arrival continue together, ultimately distri- 

 buting in pairs over the usual summer haunts. In the 

 autumn similar habits are noticed, and during September 

 and October the journey south is made in companies. 

 The habits of this species are very similar to those of allied 

 forms. The bird is mostly terrestrial, seldom perching 

 in trees, but occasionally soaring in a Pipit-like way to 

 utter a short, twittering song. It moves from place to 

 place in the same dipping flight as its congeners, accom- 

 panying it with a series of shrill cbiz-zits, is by no means 

 shy, and is very partial to running about the pastures 

 where cattle are feeding to prey upon the many flies 

 that assemble near them. The food of this species is 

 chiefly composed of insects and larvae and small worms. 

 It may rear two broods in the season, the first in April, 

 the second in June. It pairs soon after arrival, and makes 

 its nest on the ground, well concealed amongst herbage 

 or under a stone or clod of earth. The outer materials 

 are chiefly dry grass, roots, and moss, the lining of hair, 

 fur, and feathers. The five or six eggs are greyish white, 

 mottled and speckled with various shades of olive, and 

 occasionally streaked with dark brown. The young are 

 tended after they leave the nest, and the broods join into 

 larger companies as the autumn approaches. I ought 

 to add that the Yellow Wagtail is to some extent a winter 

 resident in this country. 



The adult male Yellow Wagtail in breeding plumage 

 has the general colour of the upper parts yellowish green, 

 and the under parts, including a stripe over the eye, are 

 bright yellow. The wings and tail are similar to those of 

 allied species. Bill black ; tarsi and toes black ; irides 

 brown. Length about 6j inches. The female closely 



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