144 



RAMBLING NOTES. 



stance in my memory. The poor bird's dying shrieks even now ring in 

 my ears, while I touch on the subject. My observations accord with 

 Colonel Montagu's, with respect to the time of building its nest ; it is 

 late, when compared with the several other kinds of birds. The one seen 

 by Ruricola might be an exception to the general rule. An early or 

 late spring may influence them in some measure, and does, there is nO 

 doubt of it. Some few individuals, perhaps, may cling to the old doc- 

 trine ; yet I attribute such matters to the influence of the moon, but 

 adopt the former theory. Last summer I found out this bird to be an 

 excellent friend to the gardener, by destroying caterpillars. 



On looking into Montagu's Dictionary for the Yellow Wagtail, it 

 says, c< a name for the winter wagtail." This must surely be an error 

 of the press. — Quere. Should it not be "a name for the spring wag- 

 tail ? " 



The spring wagtail (Budytes jlava) goes under the name of the yellow 

 wagtail with us hereabout ; and out of the three, is the only one entitled 

 to the name in my opinion. 



I have seen the nest of the pied wagtail (MbtaciMa lotor) in two in- 

 stances, in what perhaps may be considered by many rather out of the 

 way places. They were both on the high wold hills in this neighbour- 

 hood, and neither of them within a mile or two of any stream ; but there 

 were artificial ponds for cattle to drink at, within four or five hundred 

 yards of both. One was built on the top of a shepherd's sod hut, in a 

 large sheep walk, where whins abounded. The hut was covered over with 

 whins and loose straw as a protection from rain. I was on a piratical 

 cruise after birds' nests and young rabbits, &c, when I found this nest. 



The other was built in a more curious situation still ; and as I had 

 heard and read of an artificial method of hatching eggs, I was almost 

 inclined to think the wagtails were trying the experiment. It was built 

 five or six feet from the ground in the side of a pyramidal sod heap, 

 which had been thus piled up for the purpose of being burnt to ashes 

 as manure for turnips. Owing to unfavourable weather, part of the 

 outside wall of sods had not been consumed by the fire ; and in this 

 part the birds had built their nest, which had eggs in it when I found it. 



It happened unfortunately for them that the ashes were wanted 

 before they had time to complete their experiment ; and as I have not 

 since seen the experiment repeated by any kind of birds, I am not able 

 to inform you and your readers what the result would have been. 



No boy was ever more fond of birds and birds' nesting than I was ; 

 had I been a close observer of nature, I might have had a budget full of 



