324



Mr. W. E. Teschemaker,



realise what a dreadful waste of time may be involved in breeding

some particular species, if I arrange these notes under the headings

of the years that have elapsed since I took the matter in hand.


1906. In September of this year, I first saw an actual flock

of White Wagtails on a sheltered beach in the Isle of Man, and was

much delighted with their beauty and grace, but I had no apparatus

for trapping.


1907. I took some traps to the Isle of Man, but the

Wagtails were far too wary to enter the traps.


1908. I spent the last week of May, and the first week of

June in the Island, and endeavoured to solve the question whether

any pairs nested there. In September I took over clap-nets and a

call-bird, but without success. In October I caught my first White

Wagtail in Devonshire.


1909. I caught three White Wagtails in the Isle of Man,

and kept them in an outdoor aviary through the winter.


1910. In the summer of this year, I had a nest built and

young hatched, but the old birds refused to feed with anything but

moths, which they flushed by beating the grass with their wings.

This made me think the attempt somewhat hopeless.


1911. I had three nests and three more failures. I released

the Manx Wagtails (which presumably belonged to the race which

breeds in the far North), and obtained a series from Germany. I

applied a test to these, retaining one male and two females which

showed some inclination to feed with the class of insect food which

I had decided to use.


1912. I could not induce either female to nest. This

species does not easily become reconciled to captivity, and requires

much more careful management than the Pied Wagtail.


1913. I only used one hen this year, keeping the other in

reserve. The spring moult took place between the 10th and the

28th February. (Eor a description of the moult and the character¬

istics which distinguish it from that of the Pied Wagtail, see my

article in “ Cage Birds ” ; the suggestions made there have been

supported by later experience).


Towards the end of April, the male constructed a nest

without assistance in a nest-box, eight feet from the ground. Court-



