GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL. 113 



THE GKEY-HEADED WAGTAIL. 



MOTACILLA FLAVA. 



HAS not yet been observed in any of the western counties. In 

 other parts of Scotland the records of its occurrence are still very 

 meagre. At page 492 of the seventh volume of the Memoirs of 

 the Wernerian Natural History Society, the following remarks 

 occur under the proceedings of 9th January, 1836: " Sir Patrick 

 Walker then read notices regarding the occurrence, near Edin- 

 burgh, of several native birds, generally regarded as extremely 

 rare, particularly the Motadlla neglecta, first remarked by him on 

 the banks of the W^ater of Leith in 1804 (but referred by him to 

 the Motadlla flava, until he became acquainted with Gould's 

 observations), and often observed since that time." The proceed- 

 ings of this meeting were inserted in the " Magazine of Zoology 

 and Botany," at pages 110 and 111, and a foot note by the editor 

 states that " this is the second time that M. neglecta has been 

 recorded as occurring near Edinburgh; but the birds seem always 

 to have been neglected, and at this time we are not sure that there 

 is a specimen in town." 



Dr Saxby writes that this species " has been observed late in 

 autumn" in Shetland, but gives no particular date or locality. 



From the strong general resemblance which this rare British 

 bird bears to Ray's wagtail, it may possibly have been overlooked. 

 The habits of the two species, however, are slightly different, the 

 grey-headed wagtail being partial to streams and moist places, 

 while Ray's wagtail chiefly frequents pasture lands and fields of 

 grain at a considerable distance from water. It would be well, 

 therefore, to scrutinize birds of this kind when met with on the 

 banks of streams, etc., so as to make sure that they belong in 

 reality to the common species.* 



* While these pages are passing through the press, I have had an oppor- 

 tunity of seeing a specimen of this bird which was shot at Westbarns, near 

 Dunbar, in the beginning of May, 1868. Dr Smith, in drawing my attention 

 to this specimen, has obligingly informed me that the bird, which is now the 

 property of Mr Francis M. Balfour of Whittingham, was exhibited at a meet- 

 ing of the Royal Physical Society. When first observed, it- was following a 

 plough in search of insects. 



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