WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



overhead. Soon another jomed it, and hopped 

 to and fro. Presently they went away, but 

 hardly had they flown than the old wagtail 

 appeared at the nest with a beakful of grubs. 

 Never have I seen such an astonished and 

 ■■ taken aback ' look on any creature's face, as 

 appeared on that of the old bird when she 

 found all her family had gone. She looked into 

 the hole to be sure she was not making a 

 mistake, then flew off to search for the missing 

 young ones, and I have no doubt that she 

 found them near the stack-yard pool, for it was 

 there that I saw the wagtail party a few hours 

 later, running to and fro on the muddy margin, 

 the old ones catching the numerous flies to be 

 had by the water, and the young ones following 

 them and receiving the flies as quickly as they 

 were caught. In a few days those young ones 

 would be able to look after and feed them- 

 selves, whereupon their parents would begin 

 another nest, for it is wagtail custom to rear 

 two broods in the season. The question is 

 what happens to all the young ones, for, 

 notwithstanding that each pair of old birds 

 usually manages to bring up and get off two 

 famihes of five apiece each spring, the number 

 of pied wagtails in the country gets neither 

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