88 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



end is attained, we cannot withhold our faith in that 

 Divine wisdom which both plans, and carries the plan 

 into effect. 



The pretty Bohemian Chatterer (Bombycilla garrula) 

 has several times visited us. The winter of 1850 was 

 particularly marked by the appearance of several flocks, 

 chiefly during the severe frost in January of that year ; 

 many were shot, and all of these had their craws filled 

 with holly berries. 



The confusions of nomenclature were never, 1 think, 

 more strikingly shown than in the family at which we 

 have now arrived, that of the wagtails. Two or three 

 specific and vulgar names are often applied to the same 

 species by various authors, until it is extremely puzzling 

 to make out which is meant. 



The pied, which was formerly considered to be the 

 Motacilla alba of Linnaeus, but was found by Mr. 

 Gould to be distinct, was changed to M. lotor by Pro- 

 fessor Rennie ; it is now, however, thoroughly established 

 as M. Tarrelli (Gould). 



The white, which is the true M. alba of Linnaeus, is 

 called cinerea by Latham, while Montagu says the name 

 of white wagtail, is a name for the winter wagtail, which 

 he then describes under the specific name of M. boarula 

 (Linn.), which is known as the grey wagtail, called by 

 Macgillivray the " grey and yellow wagtail/' and by 

 Bechstein M. sulphured. 



There are, in fact, three species, which are often con- 

 founded under the trivial name of the yellow wagtail. 

 The first is the one just named as the grey wagtail 

 (M. boarula f Linn.) ; the second is the grey-headed 

 wagtail (M. neglecta, Gould) the M. flava of Linnaeus, 

 and Budytes flava, of Macgillivray ; and the third is 



