198 ANTHUS AQUATICUS. 



and blades of grass, with a lining of finer materials of the same 

 nature, together with some hair. It is placed on a grassy bank, 

 or among moss, in some rocky place, generally overhanging 

 the sea, or not far inland. The eggs are four or five, regularly 

 oval, ten-twelfths and a half long, eight-twelfths broad, of a 

 greyish or greenish-grey tint, freckled all over with purplish- 

 grey, often so thickly towards the larger end as completely to 

 obscure the ground colour. Seaweeds and moss sometimes but 

 not generally form part of the nest ; just as fuci are frequently 

 employed by the Golden Eagle and Raven, when they build 

 on maritime cliffs. 



The song of this species is composed of a shrill warble, not 

 very agreeable, and is performed while the bird is hovering in 

 the air. It is louder and less pleasing than that of the Meadow 

 Pipit, not so protracted, but of the same general character. 

 When one approaches its nest, it hovers around, incessantly 

 uttering its shrill querulous notes, and betraying its anxiety 

 by its restlessness, I have never met with it at the distance 

 of half a mile from the shore, so that it appears to be strictly 

 maritime. 



YouxG. — The young when fledged have the feathers of the 

 upper parts dark-brown edged with oil-green, the quills dusky 

 edged with olivaceous, the lower parts more yellow than in the 

 adult, and all streaked with olive -brown, except the abdomen, 

 the bill and feet of a lighter colour. 



Remarks — M. Temminck states that this sjiecies inhabits 

 more especially the south of Europe, where it nestles in the 

 mountainous districts more frequently than on maritime rocks ; 

 and that it is migratory in the temperate countries. With us, 

 however, it is stationary, and has never been observed in the 

 hilly districts. It appears that with us at least, it was first 

 distinguished by ISIontagu, and first described by Latham and 

 Lewin, under the names of Dusky Lark and Alauda obscura. 

 ^Montagu afterwards described it in the Linnaean Transactions, 

 naming it the Rock Lark, Alauda petrosa ; and various other 

 names have since been imposed upon it. 



