136 RED-THROATED PIPIT, 



of forest-growth — from Novaya Zemlya, across Siberia to Kamchatka 

 and Bering Island. It even appears to have crossed the Pacific to 

 Alaska and Lower California ; and its migrations undoubtedly 

 extend to Southern China, Borneo, Burma, India, Persia and Egypt. 

 In the last-named country and in Nubia the bird is exceedingly 

 abundant in winter, and up to the month of April, by which time it 

 has assumed full breeding-plumage, ^^'est of Tunisia, in North 

 Africa it becomes much rarer, though occasionally found near 

 Gibraltar; but the main line of the spring-migration passes through 

 Eastern Europe, curving round to Scandinavia, and the species is 

 undoubtedly scarce to the west of Heligoland. 



The Red-throated Pipit makes its nest in the sides of the 

 tussocky ridges of the bogs or tundras of the north ; dry grass being 

 the material employed, with a finer lining of the same. The eggs, 

 4-6 in number, vary from a nearly uniform rich mahogany colour to 

 a greenish-grey with dark brown mottlings : measurements 75 by 

 •58 in. In late springs breeding does not commence before the last 

 week in June, so that only one brood can be reared in the season. 

 The note is louder, fuller, and richer than that of the Meadow-Pipit. 

 The food consists principally of insects and their larvae, small 

 worms, molluscs and grass seeds. In its winter quarters the Red- 

 throated Pipit is gregarious ; and frequents planted fields where 

 suitable cover exists. 



The adult male, in breeding-plumage, is browner on the upper 

 parts than either the Meadow- or the Tree-Pipit, and the black 

 streaks are more pronounced ; the eye-stripe is broad and of a 

 rufous-buff ; the tail-coverts are more striped ; the inner secondaries 

 nearly equal in length to the primaries, as in the Tree-Pipit ; the 

 chin, throat, sides of the neck and breast vinous-chestnut ; the 

 gorget has fewer and smaller spots, but the flanks and under tail- 

 coverts are broadly streaked ; abdomen buff ; bill dark above, 

 yellowish below ; legs and feet light brown ; hind-toe as in the 

 Meadow-Pipit. Length 5-8 in.; wing 3*5 in. In the female the 

 vinous-chestnut only extends to the throat, and her breast and flanks 

 are more streaked with black ; she is also smaller in size. In winter 

 the red throat is only found in mature birds, and at that season the 

 feathers of the mantle are margined with white ; the general tint 

 being greyish-brown, without the olive-green of the Meadow-Pipit. 

 Birds of the year are very buff in colour on both upper and lower 

 parts ; but even by December there is a little rufous round the eye 

 and on the cheeks, and that tint is slightly apparent on the throat. 



