SYLVIAD^E. 73 



also called Ray's Wagtail, is a migratory species, appearing 

 with us early in March, and delighting in low meadows 

 and valleys watered by streams. Its nest, built upon the 

 ground, is composed of roots and withered grasses, lined 

 with fine grass, roots, and hair. The eggs are pale wood- 

 brown, spotted with a darker shade, and closely resembling 

 those of the Sedge Warbler. 



THE GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL. Budytes neglecta. This 

 is a foreign species, known only with us as a straggler. It 

 inhabits moist and marshy places, placing its nest in such 

 situations on the ground. The eggs considerably resemble 

 those of the Yellow Wagtail. 



THE MEADOW PIPIT. Anthus pratensis. The Pipits, 

 sometimes termed Titlarks, form a small but well-defined 

 group, having the plumage and long hind claws of the true 

 Larks, but the slender bills of the Wagtails. The Meadow 

 Pipit frequents hilly districts, open commons, meadows, and 

 even marsh-lands ; building its nest, which is composed of 

 grass, lined with finer portions of the same, and hairs, and 

 often carefully concealed at the foot of some hillock, tuft, or 

 small bush, in meadows, pastures, or the margins of heathy 

 moors. The eggs are sometimes of a reddish or purplish 

 brown, thickly marked with darker irregular spots, and 



