71 



THE YELLOW WAGTAIL. 



Motacilla raii (Bp.) 



The immigrations of the Yellow Wagtail seem to be 

 carried on mainly in small parties in company with other 

 species^ and these birds are often seen arriving on the 

 Sussex coast in this manner. Arrivals in large flocks, 

 however, do undoubtedly occasionally occur, as for 

 example the one recorded from Somerset on April the 11th, 

 and others in previous years on the south coast. 



The Yellow Wagtail seems also to be a bird which soon 

 settles down to its breeding-quarters, hence it follows that 

 the numbers recorded from any given place are generally 

 small, and the inland migratory movements are not easy to 

 trace. 



It is clear from this year's records that the bulk of this 

 species arrived mainly, if not altogether, on the south-east 

 corner of England, and spread thence north and north- 

 west. Should this method of arrival and dispersal be 

 substantiated by future observation it will be necessary to 

 explain why a bird, whose winter range lies almost entirely 

 tOjthe west of the meridian of Greenwich, being especially 

 common in West Africa in winter and in Spain on passage, 

 should, apparently, enter England at its south-eastern 

 corner. Some of the records, however, point to the pro- 

 bability that on further investigation this species may be 

 found to enter the country along the whole extent of the 

 south coast. 



With the exception of two early stragglers recorded 

 from Essex and Norfolk on March 19th and 23rd, the first 

 Yellow Wagtails arrived on the east coast of Sussex, near 

 Hastings, between March 30th and April 8th. They 

 appear to have been in small parties accompanied by other 



