232 BRITISH BIRDS. 
the surface-colour is evenly clouded over the entire surface, with here and 
there a few spots of darker colour. Sometimes the markings take the 
form of streaky lines and spots. Occasionally one egg in a clutch is 
much paler than the rest. The eggs vary from ‘82 to ‘68 inch in length, 
and from °62 to ‘55 inch in breadth. 
The food of this bird consists principally of insects, small worms, 
and larvee, and is not known to differ from that of the Meadow-Pipit. 
In winter the Red-throated Pipit becomes gregarious. Writing of this 
species in Tenasserim, in winter, Mr. Davison remarks (‘ Stray Feathers,’ 
vi. p. 367):—“I have only found this species in flocks. As a rule 
they keep to the rice-fields, or other planted fields where there is cover. 
When disturbed they rise quickly one after the other with a very sharp 
clear note, which they continue to utter as they fly. They generally 
fly a couple of hundred yards or so and drop again, one after the other, 
and commence to creep about among the stalks, one occasionally showing 
itself for an instant on the top of a dyke or clod of earth, but diving 
rapidly again into cover. Occasionally I have seen them on the banks 
of rivers along the water’s edge. I have always found them very shy; and 
after they have been fired at a few times, they fly right away out of sight.” 
The adult male Red-throated Pipit in breeding-plumage differs from the 
Meadow-Pipit by having the general colour of the upper parts much more 
rufous (sandy instead of olive), and the whole of the upper parts have 
dark centres to the feathers. The white on the two outside tail-feathers is 
the same in both species; but the throat and breast are pale buffish chest- 
nut, the remainder of the underparts being pale buffish brown, palest on the 
under tail-coverts, the longest of which have dark centres. ‘The streaks on 
the underparts are not so numerous as in the Meadow-Pipit, and are chiefly 
confined to the flanks. Bill brown above, pale below; legs light brown ; 
eet and claws darker brown; irides hazel. The female and male of the yearf 
in breeding-plumage very closely resemble the male on the upper parts ; but 
on the underparts the pale buffish chestnut is confined to the throat, and the 
remainder of the underparts are pale buffish brown, boldly streaked on the 
flanks and breast with brownish black. After the autumn moult the 
upper parts are a slightly richer brown, and the chestnut on the throat 
and breast is absent, the underparts beimg yellowish buff, streaked on 
the breast and flanks with dark brown. Birds of the year are suffused 
both on the upper and under parts with chestnut-buff, and are more 
profusely streaked on the breast and flanks. The points of distinction 
between the present species and the Meadow-Pipit in these latter plumages 
have already been pointed out in the article on the preceding species. 
