i86 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



In his " Birds of Norfolk " Stevenson mentions the occurrence of this species 

 at Sherringham, Yarmouth, and the Heigham river : he also records the fact of its 

 having been shot on more than one occasion at Lowestoft (Suffolk) and at Stoke 

 Nayland. Although only a visitor to our islands on migration, this species is 

 probably a tolerably regular one; moreover, the fact that it undoubted!}' breeds 

 with us, fully entitles it to be regarded as a British species. Herr Gatke observes : 

 " As one might expect, it also visits Heligoland in very large numbers during 

 both migration periods — though naturally its numbers are incomparably larger in 

 autumn than in spring ; but even during the latter season, if the weather is toler- 

 ably favourable, flocks of hundreds may be seen covering the sheep pastures." 



W. Warde Fowler, in his " Summer Studies of Birds and Books " says : — " A 

 few of these seem to come to us every year ; and just as it is worth while always 

 to look at Pied Wagtails to make sure that they are not White "Wagtails, so it is 

 as well to glance at all yellow birds we see, in case we should some day meet 

 with one that has a distinctl}' bluish head, and a white stripe over the e3'e instead 

 of a yellow one. A beginner, indeed, may easily confuse the female of the common 

 species for the rarit}- he is looking out for ; and he should never be satisfied until 

 he has watched his bird at a very short distance, and if possible with a good field- 

 glass.* Though Oxford is a favourite haunt of Yellow Wagtails, I have in the 

 course of many years detected but two or three of the rarer species." 



Charles Dixon says that he met with the Blue-headed Wagtail in Algeria "in 

 flocks in the oases, apparently on migration, in ^Ma}-." (Birds of Algeria, p. 6 s). 

 Occurring there so late in the year, one would almost expect that a few pairs 

 would breed there, as they are known to do in North-eastern Africa (cf. Seebohm, 

 Hist. British Birds, Vol. H., p. 209.) 



Nidification takes place ^\dth this species between the middle of Alav and the 

 first week of June ; the nest being placed on the ground amongst coarse herbage, 

 frequently under a tuft of grass in meadows or cornfields, sometimes in the bank 

 of a dry ditch : it is somewhat loosely constructed of fine rootlets, grass, straws, 

 and bents, sometimes with an admixture of moss ; and is lined vntk horse-hair, 

 wool, or fine bents ; occasionall}- -ndth wool and a few down}^ feathers. The eggs 

 number from four to six, and are either pale j-ellowish brown, ^\ith a fine black 

 streak on the larger end, or yellowish white, mottled and clouded with pale brown, 

 both types with intermediate grades sometimes occurring in the same clutch. 



The food of this Wagtail consists of insects and their laxvse, spiders, centipedes, 



* Excepting when collecting nests and eggs in dense woods, where it was often necessary to force mv wav 

 through bramble and hawthorn, I usually carried a powerful little glass in my pocket : this enabled me, not 

 only to recognise species, but to watch the birds to their nests. — A. G. B. 



