The Motacillidse of Germany. 15 



ed on our stroll a swampy place called " The Unfathomable 

 Pond." Green, dense moss covered the biggest part of it ; 

 snipes, red shanks and lapwings enlivened it and finally I 

 succeeded in crossing the mossy carpet, where the foot be- 

 came entangled and disappeared slowly in the treacherous, 

 greenish, gurgling waters, where myriads of gnats and foul 

 odors came up as the bad angels of the deep to the intrud- 

 ers of their territory. A few little hillocks where several birch- 

 es grew in the midst of the swamp gave my weary feet a 

 rest. Lapwings were furious, snipes were "bleating" in- 

 cessantly, anxious in the extreme, yet well knowing that no 

 mortal foot could ever reach their haunts. All of a sudden, 

 from a little mossy knoll I saw a small bird rising with wide- 

 spread wings, puffed up feathers and jubilant notes, ascend- 

 ing in flight as well as in song and then after reaching a cer- 

 tain height slowly descending, the song pining away. Long 

 did we observe a number of the Meadow Pipits enjoying 

 their sweet notes in that dreadful swamp. I jotted the song 

 down in my notebook but " dsick, dsick, dsick, dsick, witga, 

 wirga, wcea, wita, wita, wita, wita, ) ick, yick, yick, yick, 

 yick, weea, wita, wita, witga, tirrrrrrr," is not very express- 

 ive of what we heard. Many other pipits we met in the 

 adjacent fields, after we finally worked our way out of the 

 dismal swamp, but only heard the call notes "ist, wist." At 

 such places the nest is found, built by the female only, the 

 latter selecting a knoll in the swamp, in the heath, or a 

 potato patch, cheered by the song of its mate. The first 

 brood is raised in April, the second in June and sometimes 

 a third one later on. The nest is a loose structure; the eggs 

 vary less than those of the Tree Pipit, of which it may be 

 said that they may have any imaginable combination of 

 color and markings. After the eggs are incubated for about 

 two weeks, the young are hatched and tenderly cared for by 

 the parents. Then they roam about the country, feeding on 

 water insects, gnats, grasshoppers, and spiders, being a fre- 

 quent companion of the Yellow Wagtail in seeking food and 

 in quarreling. On October 3, 1889, on newly ploughed 



