216 MOTACILLID^. 



three fresh eggs. 25th June, a nest in the hole of a banli by the 

 road-side containing four fresh eggs." 



Colonel Legge informs us that this Pipit breeds in the west and 

 south of Ceylon during May, June, and July. 



Mr. J. E. Cripps, writing from Eurreedpore, in Eastern 

 Bengal, says : — " Common, and a permanent resident. Found in 

 higli cultivated fields and paddy-fields. Breeds during April and 

 May under tufts of grass, on the sides of embankments, &c. The 

 nest is made of fine grasses, cup-shaped ; very ofteu a hollo\\- is 

 taken advantage of, and this the bird fills neatly with grass. 

 Some birds breed even in June." 



Mr. Gates remarks that this Pipit breeds commonly all over 

 Burma in suitable localities from March to May, or even later. 



The eggs, very variable both in shape and tint, are generally 

 moderately broad and rather perfect ovals, scarcely at all pointed 

 towards the small end, and in size and shape closely resemble 

 those of the Common Tit-Lark. The ground is typically a 

 brownish or greenish stone-colour, and it is thickly streaked, 

 clouded, and streakily spotted, sometimes with dull brownish and 

 purplish red and sometimes with brown of different shades, or 

 brown intermingled with pale purplish grey. The markings are 

 not unfrequently greatly more dense at the large end, where they 

 have a tendency to become confluent, and where they are often 

 more or less united by a dull dingy purple or brownish nimbus. 

 Some eggs are altogether paler, having the ground a greyish 

 white and the markings minute, more speckly, and better defined 

 than those first described. 



In length they vary from 0-75 to 0'86, and in breadth from 

 0-57 to 0-G3. 



Anthus rosaceus, Hodgs. Hoch/sons Pipit. 



Anthus cervimis (Pall.), Jenl. B. hid. ii, p. i?37. 



Anthus rosaceus, Hodys., Hume, Rou(/h Draft N. Sj E. no. 605. 



My friend Mr. R. Thompson sent two men, one an experienced 

 shikaree and the other a stuffer, into Upper Gurhwal to procure 

 birds and eggs for me, especially those of tl^ larger Pheasants. 

 The men returned with numerous skins, but without a single egg 

 of the species they had been directed to searcb for. They brought 

 with them, however, two nests of eggs which thry had found on 

 the ground, along with a skin of one of the parent birds belonging 

 to each nest. The skin pertaining to the one nest was that of 

 Anthus jerdoni, the other was that of A. romceus. The men had 

 never been instructed to search for eggs of this kind — they had 

 no earthly object in deceiving. The birds are botli very common 

 in the interior where they were, and the shikaree was not likely 

 to have been himself deceived as to the bird really belonging lo Ihe 

 egg he brought. There was, therefore, a pretty fair presuin])tion 

 that the eggs were what they purported to be ; but, for all that, it 



