GARDEN AND ORCHARD BIRD-LIFE. 45 



pleasure-grounds ; and on one occasion, in our 

 own experience, we had ample evidence to show 

 that a pair nested amidst the luxuriant vegetation 

 on the cliffs of the Rock Walk, above the town 

 end of the Terrace Gardens. Both the Pied 

 and the Yellow Wagtails are common birds 

 within the limits of the town, the former as a 

 resident, the latter as a passing migrant in spring 

 and autumn. Not only may these dainty little 

 birds be seen tripping over the lawns and seed 

 beds near the villa residences, but they frequently 

 visit the quieter roads, stable yards, and cab ranks. 

 For several winters in succession, enormous num- 

 bers of Wagtails used to roost in a dense 

 shrubbery of privet and laurel bushes in the 

 Winter Gardens adjoining Torwood Street. My 

 attention was drawn to these birds by my old 

 friend Else, the late curator of the Museum at 

 Torquay. Regularly every evening, just as dusk 

 was falling, the Wagtails made their appearance, 

 sometimes coming in twos and threes, at others 

 in a scattered flock, and usually fluttering into 

 the cover at once. They would continue to 

 arrive even when darkness hid them from view; 

 and it was most remarkable how few of the 



