THE PIPITS. T09 



Range in Great Britain. — An accidental visitor in spring ; two 

 examples having been obtained, one near Brighton in March, 

 and another near Rainham, in Kent, in April. It is quite 

 possible that the species, which has a very wide distribution 

 throughout the Palaearctic Region, may occur more often than 

 is supposed, as it may return in the spring migration with 

 Meadow-Pipits, whose winter home it shares in many countries. 



Range ontside the British Islands. — A more eastern bird than 

 the Meadow-Pipit, being found during the breeding season 

 from Northern Scandinavia to Kamtchatka and Bering Is- 

 land, throughout the high latitudes of Europe and Siberia, 

 beyond the limits of forest growth. Its winter range is some- 

 what interesting, as it does not visit India, but is common 

 throughout China and the Burmese countries as far south as 

 the Philippines and Borneo. To the west it winters in Persia, 

 Egypt, and Abyssinia, and has also occurred in most of the 

 Mediterranean countries at this season. 



Habits. — From Mr. Seebohm's description of the habits of 

 the species, these seem to be very like those of the Meadow- 

 Pipit. He gives an interesting account of the nesting of the 

 species in the Valley of the Petchora, and again on the Yenesei 

 in Siberia. In Finmark he noticed the Red-throated Pipit 

 beginning to breed in the last week of June. It was not so 

 shy as the Meadow-Pipit, which was also plentiful in the same 

 locality, and the song resembled rather that of the Tree-Pipit, 

 the call-note being similar to that of the common Tit-lark or 

 Meadow-Pipit. It is described by Mr. Seebohm as being 

 very decidedly a swamp-bird, and rarely seen on the dry grassy 

 hills, or on the rocky slopes. In North-eastern Russia he 

 found the species very common, being almost as numerous on 

 the tundra as the Lapland Bunting, which was the most abun- 

 dant species of the region. As in Finmark, the species was a 

 late breeder, arriving in the valley of the Petchora on the 17th 

 of May, and passing further northward. On the 6th of June 

 it arrived within the Arctic Circle on the Yenesei river. 



Nest. — " Entirely made of dry grass, the coarser pieces being 

 used for the foundation, and the finest reserved for the lining. 

 It is placed in recesses on the sides of the tussocky ridges 

 which intersect the bogs." {Seebo/un.) 



