The Rock-Pipit. 209 



of the cliff, it flits from one piece of rock to another, never more than fifteen or 

 twenty paces at a time, finall}^ perching on a prominence half way np the face of 

 the cliff, where it will qnietly wait until one has passed along underneath it, after 

 which it will resume its occupation on the shore." 



Regarding the song of this species, Seebohm says : — Like all the other 

 Pipits, the Rock- Pipit seldom sings except on the wing. When it is in full song 

 its notes are very musical, and rival those of the Meadow-Pipit, but can scarcely 

 compare with those of the Tree-Pipit, either in variety, richness, or duration. In 

 the pairing-season the Rock- Pipit sings incessantly, mounting into the air and 

 gliding down again to his rocky perch on fully expanded wings and tail. The 

 first reall}/ fine day in early spring is the signal for the commencement of the song, 

 and it is continued until the young are hatched. The call-note of this bird is a 

 shrill hist or pst, most pertinaceously kept up if it is seriously alarmed or its nest 

 is in danger. This call-note is uttered both when the bird is sitting on the rocks 

 or the ground, or when fluttering in the air ; and it often soars to the zenith of 

 its flight uttering it quickly, and then returns to its perch in full song."* 



Mr. O. V. Aplin (Zoologist, 1892, p. 14) speaking of the Alpine Pipit, says: 

 " The song reminds one of the Rock- Pipit's, to which I had been listening 

 at Dover — zig zig zig zi zi zi zi, running down and becoming quicker at the 

 end." 



The nest is generally formed towards the end of April, on or close to the 

 sea- shore, but sometimes in a cavity several hundred feet up the side of a cliff; it 

 is often placed in a crevice in the rocks, or in a wall, a hole in a bank, a rabbit- 

 burrow, in a clump of sea-pink, or behind a heap of sea-weed. The materials vary 

 according to its situation, the basis being dry grass, sometimes intermingled with 

 sea-weed, the stalks of various plants, or moss ; and lined, either with fine grass 

 or hair. The eggs vary in number from four to five, and in colouring exhibit 

 much the same variations as eggs of the Sky-Lark, the ground colour being greenish- 

 white, speckled all over with grey, and usually mottled (most densely towards the 

 larger end) with olive-brown : some eggs are heavily blotched and some are zoned, 

 the general tint is also sometimes redder than usual, but I have not hitherto seen 

 the variety described by Howard Saunders — "reddish ones, like those of a Tree- 

 Pipit," unless he means the reddish-tinged (and not the reddish-chocolate) variety 

 of that bird's &gg. 



The food of the Rock- Pipit consists of insects and their larvae, but more 

 especially the flies which are attracted to rotten sea-weed, also the innumerable 



* This statement seems to imply that the call- and alarm-notes are identical : if true, this is a somewhat 

 aberrant case. — A. G. B. 



