I50 MEADOW PIPIT. 



favourite haunts during the breeding season being the 

 moors and heaths, where its nest may be always 

 found. 



In its manners, the Titlark bears a strong resem- 

 blance to the Wagtails, running quickly along the 

 ground and flirting its tail continually up and down. 

 It rises from the ground into the air, and then, like 

 the Tree Pipit, spreads its wings and tail and floats 

 down, its song being seldom heard before it begins its 

 descent. The bird does not perch on trees so much 

 as the Tree Pipit. Its song is pleasant and soft, but 

 not very varied. 



The Titlark resembles in colour the Skylark ; but it 

 is smaller and has a long tail edged with white. The 

 upper parts are olive brown, the feathers having dark 

 centres ; and the under parts nearly white, streaked 

 with blackish brown. It feeds upon insects and worms. 

 These birds bear confinement well, and behave very 

 like the Larks, roosting on the ground, and singing very 

 prettily, either when standing or running along the 

 ground. The nest, as previously stated, is most com- 

 monly found on the moors ; but the bird breeds all over 

 the country. The nest is always placed upon the ground, 

 and is generally difficult to find, either in the middle of 

 a grass or corn field, or on a sloping bank, protected 

 by an overhanging tuft, sometimes at the root of a tree, 

 or beneath a stone in a small hollow. It is made almost 

 entirely of dry grass, and lined with hair. 



Eggs may be found about the end of April or begin- 

 ning of May ; they are four to six in number, and subject 

 to considerable variation, though hardly so pronounced 

 as the Tree Pipit's. As a general description we may 

 say that they are of a brownish-white colour, thickly 

 mottled over with darker brown, and pale underlying 



