7 FEBRUARY 1903, Page 16

THE BIRDS IN OUR WOOD.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

Sra,—The writer of the notice in the Spectator of January 31st of "The Birds in Our Wood" is seemingly not aware that the common French name for the wagtail is lavandiere (washer- woman), probably suggested by the way in which the bird's tail taps the ground, just as a French washerwoman beats the linen with a wooden paddle. But one fails to see how "dish"