ROCK-PIPIT. 691 



to the southward, but positive information on this point is 

 wanting, except as to its occasional occurrence at Malta. 



The bill is dark brown with the edges and base of the 

 lower mandible dull orange : irides dark brown : the top of 

 the head, ear-coverts and upper parts of the body generally 

 nearly uniform olive-brown, obscurely streaked along the 

 middle of each feather with a darker shade ; over the eyes and 

 ear-coverts a light ochreous stripe, not always conspicuous ; 

 wings much as the dark streaks on the back, but the 

 edges and tips of the feathers lighter, these edges and tips 

 being broadest on the upper coverts and tertials, and thence 

 gradually narrowing to the primaries ; tail dark brown, the 

 middle pair of quills barred with a deeper shade and edged 

 with greyish-brown, the succeeding feathers, to the outer 

 pair, very narrowly edged, the outer pair greyish-brown on 

 the outer web and with a triangular patch of the same on the 

 distal part of the inner web, becoming almost white at the 

 tip — an indistinct trace of a similar mark being sometimes 

 visible on the tip of the second pair ; the chin greyish- white ; 

 the sides of the neck mottled with olive-brown and dull 

 ochreous ; the throat, breast, belly and lower tail-coverts, 

 dull ochreous-olive, streaked and clouded with greyish-brown ; 

 the flanks olive-brown : the legs, toes and claws, brown ; 

 the hind claw slightly longer than the toe. 



The sexes do not differ in plumage : during the breeding- 

 season the adults are of a dull brown above, but slightly 

 tinged with green. After the breeding- season, both old 

 and young have more of the olive tint above. 



The whole length of an adult is about six inches and 

 three-quarters, but rather less than more. From the carpal 

 joint to the end of the longest primary, three inches and 

 five-eighths : the" second quill slightly longer than the third, 

 fourth or fifth which are equal, and are emarginated on the 

 outer web near the tip : the tertials rather short for a bird of 

 the genus. 



