148 TREE PIPIT. 



wings stretched out and tail expanded he gently floats 

 down, still uttering his melodious song, until he either 

 reaches his perch again or the ground. This perform- 

 ance is repeated off" and on the whole day through. 



The food of the Tree Pipit consists chiefly of in- 

 sects, such as flies, beetles, grasshoppers, and the 

 larvse of insects. 



The nest is always built on the grass — on a green bank 

 in a wood, or amongst the long grass at the foot of a 

 tree ; often, too, in an open field; and it is so cunningly 

 concealed that it is difficult to find ; this difficulty is 

 made still greater from the fact that the bird does not 

 rise into the air direct from its nest, but generally 

 runs several yards before mounting, and in descending 

 it will alight twenty or thirty yards from its nest, 

 running along the ground to it. Like so many other 

 birds, the Tree Pipit will often endeavour to draw off 

 an intruder by "shamming". I recollect almost 

 treading on a sitting Pipit when out in the woods one 

 day, when she fluttered off, apparently with a broken 

 wing, and lay down a few yards away in such seeming 

 distress that I was convinced I had trodden on her : 

 on going up to her to put her out of her misery, how- 

 ever, she flew away "laughing at me". I afterwards 

 found the nest in which the young ones were just 

 coming out from the shells, which explained her in- 

 tense anxiety. 



The nest is generally placed in a little hollow in the 

 ground, being made of dry grass, root-fibres and moss, 

 and lined with finer grass and horsehair. 



The eggs, four to six, differ greatly, and it is im- 

 possible to describe all the varieties. The two most 

 distinct perhaps are greyish white, profusely spotted 

 all over with reddish brown and greyish blue, boldly 



