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south-western, southern, or eastern counties, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Sussex, Kent, Essex, 
Suffolk, and Norfolk, mostly in the months of April, May, or June, and several times in pairs. 
At Lowestoft, in April 1854, according to Mr. Gurney (Zool. p. 4440), four males and two 
females were killed in three days out of a flock of the Yellow Wagtail; but on hardly any other 
occasion has more than a pair been observed together in this country. Mr. J. Watson states 
(Zool. s. s. pp. 2343, 2406) that two or three pairs were noticed from year to year near Gates- 
head, where two nests were found in 1869, and a third nest in 1870, when two young birds, one 
of which was determined by Mr. Hancock, were shot.” 
Referring to its occurrence on the south coast of England, Mr. J. Gatcombe writes to me as 
follows :—“ This species occasionally visits the neighbourhood of Plymouth in spring and autumn, 
about the same time as the common species, W/. rai. I have myself obtained three specimens, 
two males and a female, and observed others, the last a pair during the autumn of 1874. They 
were in the same field with a flock of IZ. raiz, but did not seem to exactly associate with them, 
keeping more by themselves, and when disturbed flew off in a different direction, generally 
returning, however, to the same field in which the others had alighted. This I have remarked on 
several occasions, but have sometimes known them to fly off by themselves altogether, and even 
a single bird to separate itself from a flock of the other species. I also fancy that WZ. flava is 
more partial to the vicinity of water; but of this I am not quite certain. I have also remarked 
that the white on the throat of this species varies considerably in extent, some having only a 
small spot on the chin with all below of a brilliant yellow, whilst in others the white extends as 
far as the breast. One of the males which I killed is the finest I ever saw—pure white extending 
as low as the upper part of the breast, and the greater portion of three of the outside tail-feathers 
on each side being white, instead of two only, as is usually the case, the tail of the female also 
being similar. I have never observed this peculiarity in the tail-feathers of but one old male of 
Motacilla rai.” Besides the above-recorded instances of its occurrence in Scotland, Mr. Robert 
Gray refers (B. of W. of Scotl. p. 113) to one which was obtained at West Carns, near Dunbar, 
in May 1868, and is now in the possession of Mr. Francis M. Balfour, of Whittingham; and 
Dr. Saxby writes (B. of Shetl. p. 83) that it is a straggler to Shetland, where he has seen it 
several times late in the autumn. He observed one near the Sandy Loch, not far from Lerwick, 
about the middle of October 1870; and the others were seen in Unst, upon every occasion near a 
freshwater loch. He adds that he shot one-to make sure that it was really the present species. 
Thompson did not include it in his work on the ornithology of Ireland; but Professor Newton 
writes (/. c.) that he was “informed of its occurrence in that country by Mr. Blake-Knox, who 
thinks it is much overlooked in the south.” The present species of Wagtail has, Mr. Benzon 
informs me, been only twice obtained in the Feroes; but it visits the southern lowlands of 
Scandinavia regularly during the summer season. Mr. R. Collett writes that it occurs but 
sparingly in the southern portions of Norway, and in the University Museum there is a female, 
shot near Christiania in May 1857; and Sundevall states (Sv. Fogl. p. 45) that “it is found in 
the southern part of Sweden, up as high as about 60° N. lat.; it is common near Stockholm and 
Upsala, but rare in the western provinces, where, early in the present century, it is said to have 
been common.” It occurs in Southern Finland; but I am unable to say how far north it ranges. 
I have shot specimens of the present species in Wiborgs Lan, in Southern Finland; but those 
