lyo 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



leather with a terminal white space, third sometimes 

 also with a small wedge-shaped mark of white at tip; 

 a stripe over the eyes and the ciiliri- under parts, vary- 

 ing from pinkish-huff to deep ciiiiuiiiioii-hiiff or wine- 

 colored buffy cinnamon ; the chest, sides, and flanks 

 usually streaked with dusky ; bill, dusky-brown ; iris, 

 brown ; legs and feet, black or brownish black. Adults 

 IN Winter: Similar to the spring and summer plumage, 

 but general color of upper parts much browner or 

 more greenish-gray ; the stripe over the eye and the 

 under parts much paler, the streaks heavier. 

 Nest and Eggs. — Nest : On ground ; bulky but 



compact, made of dried grass and moss. Eggs : 4 to 6, 

 (lark chocolate-colored, overlaid with numerous spots 

 and streaks of grayish-brown. 



Distribution. — The whole of North .'\merica, breed- 

 ing from Newfoundland, Province of Quebec, high 

 mountains of Colorado and the Sierra Nevada (above 

 timber line, 13,000 feet and upward) northward, includ- 

 ing the Shumagin and Aleutian islands, Alaska, and 

 northeastern Siberia; Greenland (breeding); in winter 

 southward over whole of United States and greater 

 part of Mexico to highlands of Guatemala, and to 

 Bermudas. 



The American Pipit confines itself to of)en 

 countrv entirely, showing a marked preference 

 for wet fields and hogs, es])ecially such as are 

 frequented by Wilson's Snipe. In autumn it is 

 often seen, however, on comj)aratively dry plowed 



siderable height, mounting by great leaps with 

 their powerftil wings, and constantly uttering 

 their sharp double-syllabled call which gives the 

 bird its name of " Pipit." We do not recall 

 ever seeing one alight on a bush or tree and they 

 seldom make use of a wire or fence-post. 



-f- 





Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



A sweet- 



PIPIT (; nat. size) 

 )iced wanderer from the mountain tops and the subarctic regions 



ground as well as in uj)land jiastiu'es and stubble 

 fields. Ustially it occurs in scattered flocks, from 

 a dozen to fifty individuals being distributed over 

 a space of a dozen acres, and when one is started 

 several take flight: but even when fiftv are on 

 the wing they never collect into a solid flock, 

 but fly in extended order. \Mien feeding the 

 birds rttn about rapidly on the ground, very inuch 

 like Sandpipers, and tilt and flirt the tail tnuch 

 like the Water-Thrushes and some shore birds. 

 When flushed they rise very quickly to a con- 



riie food appears to consist mainly of worms, 

 insects and such other animal food as can be 

 found in damp places, freely mixed with seeds 

 of various kinds. The bird certainly does no 

 harm and presumably does much good to the 

 agriculturist, but its stay is so short and its 

 numbers in any one locality so small that it 

 probably is not an economic factor of any great 

 importance. 



Walter Bradford Barrows, in Michigan 

 Bird Life. 



