A WAGTAIL DRAMA 161 



lame and so drawing a dog in pursuit. But none of these 

 excels the wagtail in the fighting spirit. The attribute 

 seems common to the tribe, for I once watched a big 

 Australian &quot; Willy Wagtail &quot; pursue a large dog at close 

 quarters all along a fairly populous street in the middle of 

 Perth. 



When the dog was kennelled, for the greater peace of 

 mind of our tailless friend, we proceeded with our search 

 for the grey wagtails, distinguished from all others 

 pied, yellow, white, blue-headed and the rest by the 

 extreme length of the tail. We found the pair at once 

 and, what is more, the cock .gave us a display of his 

 peculiarly buoyant acrobatics. Rising from a low fence 

 in the stream he danced in the air very much like a glass 

 ball on a fountain, now standing still except for a quiver, 

 a vibration, now shooting up a few inches, now falling 

 back like a swarm of winter gnats, now being tossed 

 aside by the erratic fountain of his inclination, and 

 recovering after half a fall. The pied wagtail, especially 

 when following in the wake of the hay-cutter that stirs 

 up flies and moths, can play the same game ; but not 

 with quite the delightful abandon of the grey or the 

 scattering of such colour. 



No birds have either a better courage or a greater sense 

 of fun than the wagtail. I have seen one play with a dog 

 as well as fight a dog, dance over his head, tease him by 

 sudden approaches and more sudden skips. 



5- 



Seed-hay and meadow-hay are as different as chalk 

 from cheese, pace the urban scorn of Dr. Johnson, who 

 thought one grass field the same as another grass field. 

 Of late haysel, a word still in use in some villages, has 



L T.V.E. 



