SYLVIADJL 71 



and simple song. Its nest, generally built in some hedge, 

 has for its foundation a few sticks, and is composed exter- 

 nally of moss and wool chiefly, and lined with hair. The 

 eggs, usually four or five in number, are of a clear greenish- 

 blue colour, entirely devoid of markings. (PL IX. fig. 61.) 



THE GREY WAGTAIL. Motacilla loarula. This bird is 

 not nearly so common in this country as the Pied species, 

 but is ^aid by Mr. Hewitson to be very abundant in Ma- 

 deira. It is considered to breed only in the northern parts 

 of our island. The nest, in its position and construction 

 much resembling that of the Pied Wagtail, is built of 

 roots and the stems of plants, with the addition occasionally 

 of a little wool or moss, and is lined with hair and fine 

 grasses. The eggs, four or five in number, are very slightly 

 coloured; yellowish-white, mottled with light brown and 

 grey. 



THE PIED WAGTAIL. Motacilla Yarrellii. This lively 

 bird is always an ornament to the country ; and simple as 

 are its colours, their striking contrasts render it a marked 

 and pretty creature. Its nest, which is built in holes of 

 walls, in a woodstack, hayrick, or peat-pile, and but seldom 

 on the ground, is formed externally of roots or small sticks, 

 and lined with hair and fine grasses. The eggs, four or 



