IMOTACII.I.ID.I-:. 



THE RED-THROATED PU'IT. 



Anthus cervinus (Pallas). 



On March 13th 1884 a Red-throated Pipit was brought by a bird- 

 catcher to Mr. Swaysland, the well-known bird-stuffer at Brighton, 

 and was examined in the flesh on the following day by Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney jun., who recorded the occurrence in ' The Zoologist ' for 

 that year (p. 192). In the same volume (p. 272) Mr. Walter 

 Prentis stated that, in April 1880, he shot an example of this 

 species at Rainham in Kent, whilst it was feeding and singing along 

 the freshly-turned furrows behind his plough, and sent it, as merely 

 a bright-coloured Meadow-Pipit, to Dover for preservation. Both 

 these examples were forwarded to Mr. R, B. Sharpe, who exhibited 

 the former — now in the possession of Mr. T. J. Monk of Eewes — 

 at a meeting of the Zoological Society, April ist 1884. Up to that 

 year no thoroughly authenticated British-killed example was known, 

 although Mr. Bond possessed a genuine specimen of the bird, 

 labelled " Unst, May 4th 1854", purchased at the sale of the late 

 Mr. Troughton's collection, and proceeding, as shown by Mr. 

 Gurney jun., from a previous sale which had obtained a notoriety 

 of a certain kind. Yet, as was prophetically remarked by Professor 

 Newton, the migratory habits and wide range of this species made 

 it very likely to occur, and probably rendered its recognition in these 

 islands only a matter of time and observation. It has not been con- 

 sidered necessary to figure it here, because the coloration and other 

 characteristics could not be rendered in a woodcut. 



The Red-throated Pipit is a s[)ecies which, throughout the year, 

 enjoys the maximum of sunshine ; and under the continuous daylight 

 which reigns in summer to the north of the Arctic circle, it breeds in 

 many parts of Scandinavia, especially in East Finmark ; while east- 

 ward, we find it in increasing numbers, beyond the limit of forest- 

 growth, across Siberia to Kamschatka and Bering Island. It is even 

 said to have straggled across the Pacific to Lower California ; but 

 be this as it may, the migrations of this Pipit undoubtedly extend to 

 Southern China, Borneo, Burma, India, Persia and Egypt. In the 

 latter and in Nubia, the bird is exceedingly abundant in winter, and 



