THE BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL. 71 



with the flocks of Ray's Wagtails, and I have 

 shot it in their company on the marsh-land of the 

 South coast. I have also seen in the collection 

 of my friend, Mr. Menteith Ogilvie, several female 

 specimens procured by him in Suffolk, and it is, 

 therefore, quite possible that the species either 

 breeds in our Eastern counties, or that it mates 

 with _Ray's Wagtail, which is the Common 

 Yellow Wagtail of those parts. 



Large flights of Yellow Wagtails arrive in Eng- 

 land in the spring, and are to be seen in numbers 

 in the meadow-lands of the south coast as early 

 as March. By the end of that month they have 

 extended further inland, and their bright plumage 

 rivalling, in the males at least, the brilliancy of a 

 Canary, makes them a conspicuous object in the 

 pastures and commons of the southern and mid- 

 land counties. In April they extend their range 

 into Scotland, where they breed plentifully. They 

 are very fond of accompanying cattle, and may 

 generally be seen running swiftly about in close 

 proximity to the legs of the cows, and actively 

 catching the insects disturbed by the latter as 

 they move along. In the autumn they collect 

 in vast flocks on our southern coasts, and roost 



