THE PIPITS. HI 



Range outside the British Islands. — A bird of Eastern Asia, 

 breeding from the valley of the Yenesei and Eastern Turkestan 

 to Eastern Siberia and Mongolia, whence it migrates south in 

 autumn to China, India, and the Burmese countries and the 

 Moluccas. At the same season of the year it journeys west- 

 ward, and has been recorded from most of the countries of 

 Europe. 



Hahits. — Mr. Seebohm says that this present species is 

 " essentially a Steppe bird, delighting in wet pastures and rich 

 meadows left for hay in the northern climates, where the 

 harvest is late and it can build its nest in '.he long grass, and 

 rear its young before the mowers come to disturb it, and 

 where it can find abundance of food on the short grass after 

 the hay is cleared away, just when its young are most 

 voracious." The bird has a habit of hovering in the air, like 

 a Kestrel, and is then easily procured ; otherwise, Mr. Seebohm 

 says, it is a most difficult species to obtain, as it runs about in 

 the grass and cannot be detected. Colonel Legge states that 

 in its winter-quarters in Ceylon, Richard's Pipit frequents 

 cattle-pastures, and is very fond of dusting itself in the road 

 like a Lark. Everywhere it seems to be a shy species. 



Nest. — Not yet described, but is doubtless similar to that 

 of other Pipits. 



Eggs. — Four to six in number. Axis, 0*85-0*9 inch ; diam., 

 0*7. Ground-colour greenish-white, or brownish-white, pro- 

 fusely spotted and clouded with spots of brown or greenish- 

 brown, with underlying spots of grey, almost completely hiding 

 the ground-colour of the egg. This is more particularly the 

 case in the browner type of egg in the British Museum. 



V. THE TAWNY-PIPIT. ANTHUS CAMPESTRIS. 



Alanda campestris, Linn., S. N., i., p. 288 (1766). 



Anthus campestris, Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 592 (1874) ; Dresser, 



B. Eur., hi., p. 317, pi. 137 (1874); B. O. U. List. Br. 



B., p. 33 (1883) ; Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 239 (1884) J Sharpe, 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus., x., p. 569 (1885); Saunders, Man., p. 



129 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. xviii. (1891). 



Adult Male. — Sandy-coloured above, with dark centres to the 



