2IO The Irish Naturalist. November, 



I could see differed from the shade of the upper parts of 

 many Meadow-Pipits which I had collected at this season 

 of the year on the Tuskar. However, my suspicions were not 

 as yet aroused. I merely thought such a plumage varia- 

 tion was the outcome of difference in age. And so I put 

 the bird up in my room for a few hours until I had com- 

 pleted my morning's survey of the rock. At 9.0 a.m. 

 I collected another Pipit, which possessed the same shade 

 of plumage as those previously taken this autumn. At 

 II. a.m. I placed the two birds side by side for purposes 

 of comparison. The following points of difference could 

 be made out without any difficulty : — First bird — larger 

 in size, darker in the upper plumage, spots on the breast 

 bolder and comparatively fewer in number (the breast 

 being more like that of a thrush), legs not only much paler 

 but without any yellow tinge, the colour being a very 

 delicate pale flesh-colour, almost like ivory-white with 

 the faintest trace of pale pink in it. Now, while these 

 points of difference were of considerable interest, they did 

 not as yet stir up any suspicions in my mind that I was 

 dealing with two different species. Next I compared 

 the beaks, and certainly the more strongly built beak 

 of the first bird (a beak more like that of a Sky-Lark 

 than of a Meadow-Pipit), arrested my attention for some 

 time. Still, I thought this feature might be the result of 

 age, and that the bird was naught else than a very robust 

 and fully -matured Meadow-Pipit, and differing in that 

 respect from all the other Meadow-Pipits which I had 

 heretofore collected this autumn, which were immature. 

 Admiration for the beautifully delicate flesh-coloured tint 

 of the legs prompted me to inspect them a second time. 

 And now, my examination was conducted with more 

 critical scrutiny, for I soon detected that the hind-claw 

 was much shorter and more curved than that of any of the 

 Meadow-Pipits which I had as yet collected. Then, all 

 of a sudden, it flashed into my mind that I had secured a 

 prize ; the bird was no less than a Tree -Pipit. To 

 strengthen my conviction I hastily snatched down 

 Saunders' " Manual " from a shelf, and went over the 

 distinguishing points, and very soon I found my bird must 



