NATURAL HISTOPwY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 93 



includes this species in sub-province 35, but with a mark of 

 interrogation. He says " this bird has been seen as far north as 

 Sutherland by Mr St. John and Sir W. Jardine, etc." 



• 



MEADOW PIPIT. 



ANTnUS PBATENSIS (Linnaeus). 



Exceedingly abundant. Mr Selby says that " it is met with on 

 the summits of the highest hills." Perhaps this remark was 

 meant by Mr Selby only to apply to green-topped mountains, as for 

 instance, Ben Clibrich, the highest mountain in Sutherland. That 

 it is but very rarely, if at all, seen amongst the stony barrens and 

 cairns " confusedly hurled " of the Pen More range or other stony- 

 topped mountains, is nearly certain. I have never observed it, so 

 far as I can recollect, above the heather line, which in West 

 Sutherland and the North West of Scotland generally is a long 

 way below the summits of the mountains. 



Ohs. I once saw a specimen of Anthus trivialis (Linnaeus), 

 the Tree Pipit, sitting on an ash-tree close to the Inn at Inchna- 

 damph, but, as it was the only specimen seen, I do not include it 

 in this list, though it is probably found breeding at Rosehall and 

 in the east. 



ROCK PIPIT. 



ANTHUS OBSCURUS {Lathaiii). 



Common all along the coast, breeding in numbers on Handa, 

 and even on the furthest-out islands of the Badcall group. The • 

 nest is exceedingly difficult to find, being often far underneath a 

 loose turf or large stone. On one occasion, on Handa, I 

 accidently kicked over a piece of loose turf, and found underneath 

 a nest and young of Anthus ohscurus. Mr E. R. Alston, in 1869, 

 found another nest on the Badcall Islands, containing four eggs. 

 Though present, I did not take note of the site or materials of the 

 nest, but he afterwards informed me, " The nest I found on 

 Mhael Beg was neatly but loosely built of fine dry grass, and 

 was placed in a hole about six inches deep, in the face of a low 

 * hag ' or perpendicular bank of peat." On rockier parts of the 

 coast the nest is frequently placed on the face of a cliff, advantage 

 being taken of the support offered by a tuft of wiry grass or 

 sea-pink. 



