RED-THROATED PIPIT. 187 
them accordingly. Mr. Macgillivray has given a useful account 
of it in his ‘Manual of British Ornithology,’ the first record, 
that I am aware of, of this species as a British one. 
This species inhabits principally the south and east of 
Europe. It is also found in the American and Asiatic Con- 
tinents; also in Japan. 
The habits of this species are myotherine, that is, allied to 
those of the Flycatchers, its food consisting of insects, both 
of land and water, and their larve. These are the ‘spolia 
opima’ of it and its allied species. 
The nest is built in mountainous regions, and the neighbour- 
hood of water seems to be preferred, but not the sea coast. 
The eggs are four or five in number, and of a dull grey 
colour, covered all over with faint brown spots, more or less 
confluent. 
Male; length, from rather more than six inches to six and 
a half; bill, brownish black; from its base a yellowish white 
line extends over the eye; head on the crown, ash-coloured 
brown, the centre of each feather darker than the edges, more 
or less distinctly according to the season of the year. Neck, 
whitish in the front, on the sides and lower part streaked 
with brown; in the spring it is tinged with rose-coloured red; 
chin, throat, and breast, yellowish grey, tinged in the spring 
with roseate red; the latter spotted and streaked more or 
less, especially on the sides, with greyish brown. The streaks 
decrease with the advance of spring, and in some specimens 
are totally obliterated; afterwards they again appear. Back, 
greyish brown, with a slight tinge of olive; the centre of 
each feather being of a darker shade, and those on the lower 
part greenish. 
The wings expand to the width of eleven inches and three 
quarters; greater wing coverts, brown; lesser wing coverts, 
brown, edged with greenish yellow, and some of them tipped 
with brownish grey. Primaries, brown, edged with greyish 
white; the first four are almost equal, but the first the 
longest, the fourth the shortest; secondaries, brown, edged 
with greenish yellow. The tail, which is rather long, has 
the two middle feathers ash-coloured brown, the rest blackish 
brown; the outside feather on each side has a long oblique 
white patch on the inner web, and the greater part of the 
outer web is white; the next is similarly marked, but not so 
extensively, and is tipped with greyish white. Legs, toes, 
and claws, brownish black, with a tinge of purple. 
