BRITISH BIRDS. 51 



but to east side of England generally is a winter visitor, 

 being then seen flitting about the fields or paddling up and 

 down in small streams and rivulets, uttering a shrill 

 chiz-ip ; soaring, or flight note, however, is a longer chip, 

 chip, chip, chiz-ip. Nest : placed in rocky banks of 

 streams, etc. ; composed of fine roots, moss, and grass, 

 lined with much hair. Eggs : 4 or 5 ; greyish white, 

 mottled with pale yellowish-brown ; size 75 by "55. 



62. Motaeilla flava, Linn. BLUE-HEADED 

 YELLOW WAGTAIL. 



Hab. Central Europe, north to Holland and Britain. 

 In winter migrating to Africa. 



Male : crown and nape blue-grey ; ear-coverts darker ; 

 above eye a white line ; back rather dark yellowish-olive ; 

 wings dark brown, both greater and lesser coverts being 

 tipped with yellowish-white and secondaries margined with 

 the same ; two outer tail-feathers on each side chiefly 

 white ; remainder dusky-brown ; chin and lower cheeks 

 white ; throat, breast, and under parts, rich yellow ; bill 

 and tarsi black. Length 6.50. Female : duller above 

 and below. Young : like those of M. rait, but are said to 

 always show a white eye-stripe. 



An irregular spring visitor to south and east of England. 

 The late John Hancock recorded it as breeding on several 

 occasions near Gateshead-on-Tyne, and it has without 

 doubt done so in other localities. In Scotland has occurred 

 two or three times, but has not been proved to visit Ireland. 

 Nest and eggs scarcely differ from those of M. raii. 

 Term " Grey-headed Wagtail," sometimes applied to this 

 species, belongs properly to M. viridis of Gmelin, 

 inhabiting Arctic Europe and also Siberia ; this form has 

 crown dark blue-grey, almost black, and eye-streak absent ; 

 has possibly occurred in England, at Penzance. It has, 



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