THE MEADOW PIPIT. 



115 



This species is observed on migration at the lighthouses 

 on the coasts of England and Scotland in spring and autumn, 

 and of late years it has been identified at the Isle of May 

 and the Fame Islands.^ 



Its song is soft and musical, though not loud, and is 

 generally uttered as the bird descends, with outspread 

 wings and tail, from a little height to which it rises in the 

 air before it commences to sing. 



The nest, which is placed on the ground amongst grass 

 or rough herbage, is composed of dry bents lined with hair, 

 and the eggs, four or five in number, have the ground colour 

 generally hidden with a close mottling of dark brown. The 

 Cuckoo often deposits its egg in the nest of this species, 

 and in the uplands of Berwickshire it is generally followed 

 by several Meadow Pipits. 



1 It was observed on migration in Spring 1884. — At Isle of May, on 13th Feb. 

 and 1st to 23rd April ; at Fames, 2ud April. Autumn 1884. — Isle of May, 16tli 

 Sep. to middle of October ; Fames, 14tli Dec., large flocks. Spring 1885. — Isle 

 of May, lOtli to 18th March. — Reports on the Migration of Birds, 1879-85. 



