108 llovd's natural history. 



in tint, though generally uniform in appearance, brown 

 being the prevailing colour. Sometimes the eggs are entirely 

 brown with only a hair-like line here and there, but in most 

 clutches the brown appearance is produced by the mottlings 

 of the eggs, the ground-colour of which is dull white or even 

 bluish-white. Both the brown cloudings and spots and the 

 grey underlying markings are, as a rule, evenly distributed 

 over the egg, and hence the uniform appearance which is 

 created. Some clutches of eggs from the Faeroe Islands in 

 the Seebohm collection vary from those obtained in the 

 British Islands. Six eggs taken by Mr. Miiller in the Faeroes 

 are of a pinkish-grey colour, very pale, and covered with a 

 profusion of very minute greyish-brown dots. Another clutch, 

 taken by the same well-known collector, is of a " Wagtail " 

 type, being greenish-white, spotted all over with purplish- 

 brown and grey underlying markings, in some collecting at 

 the larger end. Axis, 0-75-0-85 inch ; diam., 0-6-0-65. 



III. THE RED-THROATED PIPIT. ANTHUS CERVIN'US. 



Motaciila cervina, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso.-Asiat., i., p. 511 (181 1). 

 Anthus cervinus, Dresser, B. Eur. iii., p. 299, pi. 136 (1874); 



B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 32 (1883) ; Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 229 



(1884); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., x., p. 585 (18S5); 



Saunders, Man., p. 127 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. 1'.., 



pt. xi. (1889). 



Adult Male in Breeding Plumage. — Like the Meadow-Pipit, but 

 tlie throat and breast not spotted or streaked, of a vinous red 

 like the sides of the ?ieek ; the rump and upper tail-coverts 

 mottled with black centres and resembling the back ; bill 

 dark brown, the base of the lower mandible and the gape 

 yellow ; feet yellowish flesh-colour ; iris brown. Total length, 

 5-6 inches ; culmen, 0-55 ; wing, 3-5 ; tail, 2-5 ; tarsus, 0-85. 



Adult Female. — Like the male, and has the throat vinous, but 

 not the chest, which is sandy-buff like the rest of the under 

 surface. Total length, 5-3 inches; wing, 32. 



Winter Plumage. — Resembles that of the Meadow-Pipit, but 

 is distinguished by the blackish centres to the feathers of the 

 rump and u^er fail-coverts ; the median wing-coverts tipped 

 with whitish, forming a tolerably distinct wing-bar. 



