Booth: White Wagtails, etc., in Airedale. 



241 



easily be re-copied without injuring the look of the whole series 

 of notes, as is too frequently the case where a book is used. It 

 is also much easier to write on sheets than in a book. A simpler 

 way still than using- any author's order, or the index of his 

 book, is to keep the notes in alphabetical order under the 

 scientific name of the species. There is only one dang-er in 

 doing- this. The bi-nominal system of nomenclature is so 

 uncertain, and various, in different authors, that many cross- 

 references have to be added on other sheets, and this greatly 

 swells the bulk of your notes. Yet, if this is not done with 

 -great care by young naturalists, notes on the same species will be 

 scattered under different scientific names throughout his whole 

 collection. When sheets may be reckoned by many thousands, 

 as in my own case, dividing them into subjects becomes the only 

 practical way of getting at what you w^ant quickly.' 



White Wagtails, etc., in Airedale. — On "gth April last, 

 after a few days of cold (which included frost and snow), 

 following a long spell of mild weather, I was struck with the 

 great numbers of small birds down by the side of the river. No 

 doubt most of them were driven into the valley for food and 

 shelter. The Pied Wagtail (Motacilla luguhris) was by far the 

 most numerous species, and simply swarmed the whole way 

 between Saltaire and Bingley, the males very greatly pre- 

 dominating. In company with these Pied Wagtails, and near 

 to Cottingley Bridge, I was delighted to see two White Wag- 

 tails {M. alba), which I watched for more than half an hour 

 v^ith my field glasses, and often at very short range. One 

 (a male) was in exceptionally fine plumage. Again, on 12th 

 April, one of these birds was still about the same place, and 

 I was able to point it out to two friends interested in orni- 

 thology. Since that date I have not seen any more of these 

 birds — which had probably sought the shelter of the valley with 

 the same object as the vast gathering of Pied Wagtails. There 

 does not appear to be any record of the White Wagtail in Aire- 

 dale — or at least in this part of Airedale.'"' I have never known 

 the beautiful Yellow — or Ray's — Wag'tail [AI. raii) so numerous 

 in Airedale as it is this summer — the whole of the way up the 

 dale from Saltaire to Malham. — Harry B. Booth, Shipley. 



^'Althoug-h there has been g-ood reason to suspect the presence of 

 1he White Wag-tail in Airedale on the spring migration, this is the first 

 authentic notice of its actual occurrence. — Eds. 



