THE PIPITS. 117 



feathers broadly centred with spots and streaks of dark brown; 

 flank-feathers olive brown, streaked with darker brown ; lower 

 breast and abdomen as well as the under tail-coverts dull white, 

 washed with pale olive-yellow. 



Note. — The Rock-Pipit can be told by the smoky-brown tint of the 

 light pattern of the outer tail-feathers, which is found in birds of all ages. 



Range in Great Britain. — Resident on the rocky coasts of 

 Scotland and Ireland, and also in England on suitable parts 

 of the coast, but not breeding on the more open parts, where 

 it occurs only as a migrant or winter visitor. 



Range outside the British Islands. — This is not yet well under- 

 Stood, as few authors have recognised the validity of the Scan- 

 dinavian form of Rock-Pipit. We ourselves have never seen 

 an undoubted specimen of our own Rock-Pipit from any other 

 locality than the British Islands, but the spotted-breasted 

 form is said by Mr. Howard Saunders to occur in the Channel 

 Islands and along the shores of Northern and Western France. 

 In the other portions of Northern Europe it is represented by 

 the Scandinavian form, A. rupestris. 



Habits. — In the south of England and on all our open coasts 

 the Rock-Pipit is found on migration or in winter, and some- 

 times in some numbers. Its actions are like those of the 

 Meadow-Pipit, and it might be mistaken for the latter bird, were 

 it not for its larger size and generally darker appearance. It 

 runs along the shore or over the sea-weed, picking up its food, 

 which consists of shore-insects and small mollusca ; it also 

 feeds on seeds of marine plants, and the Rock-Pipits which 

 we killed in Heligoland fed on some kind of insect which 

 rapidly decomposed, so that on more than one occasion the 

 skin of the gullet peeled off in a few hours, and the birds had 

 to be attended to by the taxidermist very soon after death, to 

 ensure their conservation. 



The Rock-Pipit breeds at the end of April or beginning of 

 May, and during the pairing-season the song of the male is 

 heard incessantly, as he springs into the air. Like other 

 Pipits, the song is generally uttered as the bird descends with 

 outspread wings and tail. Its notes are described as very 

 musical, not unlike those of the Meadow-Pipit, but not equal 

 to those of the Tree-Pipit. 



