Nesting of the Yellow Wagtail.



81



M. phcea. Dark CUCKOO Dove. Similar to M. tenuirostris ,


but larger and darker. Rather abundant in Calayan.


* * *


In addition to these there are at least thirty-three species of

Pigeons, including Thick-billed, Wedge-tailed, Green, etc., and Fruit


Pigeons. H. D. Astley.


(To he continued).



NESTING OF THE YELLOW WAGTAIL.


Motacilla flava.


By W. E. Teschemaker.


My attempts to breed this beautiful species date, as in the

case of the White Wagtail, from the year 1906, when, on a green

sward close to Hickling Broad, I came across a small colony of nests

and thought the sight one of the most charming glimpses of bird-life

which I have ever seen.


Every summer since then I have had a pair of M. flava in

the aviary, but it was not until last year that I obtained a nest from

an old male, which had been more than three years in the aviary,

and a female which had resided with me for fully a couple of years.

Season after season the male had selected a site for a nest and it

had been most interesting to see him executing his singular love-

flight, always in the same manner, hovering or circling slowly over

one particular spot, the body feathers ruffled out, his wings drooped

and his legs trailing. The central idea of ruffling out the feathers

seems to be to make the slim graceful body look as large as possible.

It is a singular fact that this particular male and female had always

been the worst of friends : the former had frequently persecuted the

latter and the latter had on one occasion during the winter turned

the tables and nearly managed to slay the former.


However, they at length composed their differences, and

during the very wet summer of 1912 built a nest in some long grass.

It was close to a Crested Lark’s nest, but, as the female was careful

never to rise from the nest itself, I did not exactly locate it. One

morning, after the female had been sitting for about a week, I saw

the male moping in a corner in the deepest dejection and the female



