142 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



habits than the rest of its congeners, being often 

 found in arable land. It is said to be particularly 

 fond of peas and beans : it also frequents lawns, 

 meadows and pasture lands, and is often to be found 

 amongst sheep and cattle, catching the insects which 

 they disturb. Its food consists almost entirely of 

 flies and other insects. 



The nest is placed on the ground, and is formed 

 of dry bents and roots, and lined with hair. 



The Yellow Wagtail is a very beautiful bird, the 

 colouring, especially of the breast and under parts, 

 being extremely bright; the beak is black; the 

 irides hazel; the head, ear-coverts, neck, back, 

 scapulars and tail-coverts olive-green; there is a 

 streak of bright yellow over the eyes and ear- 

 coverts; wing-coverts and tertials brown, edged 

 with dull white ; primaries and secondaries brown ; 

 tail dusky, almost black, except the two outside 

 feathers, which are white on the outer, with a streak 

 of white on the inner, web ; throat, breast and all 

 the under parts a very bright rich yellow ; legs, toes 

 and claws black. The female is not so bright as the 

 male, and the young bird of the year has the under 

 parts of a much less bright yellow, partially mixed 

 with white, and on the breast inclining to olive- 

 green. 



The egg is something like that of the Stonechat, 

 and is occasionally mistaken for it : it is, however, 

 rather larger; the colour is much the same a 



