Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/164

does not always run, he ceases eating, and rouses his attention to all sounds. If, in the course of an hour, or thereabouts, the man neither moves nor makes the least noise, the animal may begin to feed again, but does not forget what he heard, and is for many hours more vigilant than before."—Gosse's 'Canadian Naturalist,' p. 57.

 

---

---

 

Enquiry respecting a Wagtail. When spending a few days lately at a friend's house in Worcestershire, my attention was attracted by the appearance of a yellow wagtail, which was a daily visitor on the balcony of the drawing-room window. Never having before observed a bird of this kind so familiar in its approach to a habitation, I was told it had excited the attention of all the family, it having been in the habit of frequenting the balcony during the greater part of the preceding summer, unattended by any mate; and what particularly excited curiosity was its darting against the window-panes, as if to peck at some object, yet what this object might be, none had been able to discover. It was not long ere I had an opportunity of witnessing this action of the wagtail, for I was soon startled, whilst reading, by the sharp peck against the window, and looking up, saw the elegant little bird running along the rail of the balcony. I hastened to the window and looked intently along the frame, but nothing could I see, being winter, it is rare to see any insect in such a situation. The bird, on my approach, flew off the rail, and I saw him alight on the gravel walk below; but scarcely had I resumed my book when he was at his former station, amusing himself on the rail, and occasionally darting suddenly against the window as before; all attempts to discover the cause of this were unsuccessful. This wagtail, like the rest of his congeners, was extremely pretty and graceful in his motions, and peculiarly elegant in form, far surpassing, in this respect, his relative the pied wagtail, several of which latter species were to be seen, apparently his associates, on the gravel walk, but closer observation showed they were not to be considered his companions, since he evidently held himself aloof from their society. The lady of the house informed me that the yellow wagtail had first been noticed about the beginning of last April, when it remained about six weeks; it then disappeared for a couple of months or more, and was again observed at its old station early in September. I feel desirous of knowing to what species this wagtail belongs: the doubt seems to lie between the common yellow, called by Yarrell "Ray's wagtail," and the grey-headed wagtail, described as a foreign bird, and only occasionally found in this country. I send the above details in the hope that some one of your correspond