YELLOW WAGTAIL n 5 



THE BLUE-HEADED (OR GREY-HEADED) WAGTAIL 



MOTACILLA FLAVA 



Top of the head, lore, and nape lead-grey ; over the eye a white streak ; 

 scapulars, back, and upper tail-coverts greenish olive, tinged with yellow ; 

 chin white, in the young male yellow ; under parts bright yellow. Length 

 six inches and a half. Eggs mottled with yellow, brown, and grey. 



This, one of the common Yellow Wagtails of the Continent, is a 

 rare visitor in this country. Its habits, nest, and eggs, closely 

 resemble those of the next species. It is the Bergeronette prtntaniere 

 (' Little shepherdess of the Spring ') of the French, a pretty name, 

 suggested by the habit, common to all the genus, of resorting to 

 sheepfolds for the sake of feeding on the flies with which such places 

 abound. 



YELLOW WAGTAIL 



MOTACILLA RAII 



Top of the head, lore, nape, back, and scapulars pale olive ; over the eye a 

 streak of bright yellow ; chin yellow ; lower parts of the same colour. 

 Length six inches and a half. Eggs whitish, mottled with yellow, 

 brown, and grey. 



Ray's Wagtail, the third of the Yellow Wagtails placed on the list 

 of British birds, is, next to the Pied, the best known species, being 

 a regular summer visitor, and everywhere tolerably common. It 

 is said by most authors to frequent the water rather less than the 

 other species, and to prefer fields of peas and tares, open downs and 

 sheep pastures ; but, as far as my own observation goes, I have seen 

 it far more frequently near water than elsewhere, and if I wished 

 to observe its habits, I should repair to the nearest canal or river, 

 in the certain expectation of seeing a pair hunting among the aquatic 

 weeds for their food, running along the sandy or muddy shore, 

 perching on the broad leaves of the water-lily, and chasing each 

 other with dipping flight through the air. I am inclined to believe 

 that, though it may have often been noticed in dry pastures and 

 stony places, yet that when so circumstanced, it is only engaged on an 

 exploring expedition from its watery haunts ; for it is scarcely possible 

 that a bird so thoroughly at home in a weedy pond, can ever be long 

 absent from such a locality from choice. Its habits are precisely 

 similar to those of the Pied Wagtail, except that it visits us in the 

 summer exclusively, retiring southwards in autumn. It may often 

 also be seen in company with that species. Besides its call-note, 

 which consists of two shrill notes, the second of which is a musical 

 tone lower than the first, it has a short and exceedingly sweet song, 

 something like that of the Redbreast when at its best. This I have 

 heard it utter whilst it was perched on a low bush overhanging a 

 pond. Its nest was probably somewhere in the neighbourhood, for 

 when disturbed it flew to a short distance only, alighted on another 



