156 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



winter home it frequents localities either actually adjoining or at 

 no great distance from water. The shores of El Bahira or the Lake 

 of Tunis, and the little islet of Sheikli in the centre of that lagoon, 

 are favourite resorts of Meadow-Pipits, which no doubt find an 

 abundance of food among the sedges and rough grass plentiful there. 

 The diet of these and allied Pipits consists of insects, small snails 

 and worms, varied to a certain extent by seeds and other vegetable 

 matter. The flight of the Meadow-Pipit is not unlike that of the 

 Short-toed Lark, being jerky and flitting, although capable of being 

 maintained for a considerable length of time. The call note of this 

 species is sharp and shrill, but its song, generally uttered on the 

 wing, is said to be well sustained and varied. In M.a.i'occo A . pra'tensis 

 is common as a winter migrant. In the Canaries and Madeira a 

 resident form, A. hertheloti, occurs, which diffei's hora A. pratensis 

 in being paler in colour and rather smaller in size. 



ANTHUS CERYINUS (Pallas). 

 EED-THEOATED PIPIT. 



Motacilla cervina, Pall. Zoo. Ross. -As. i, p. 511 (1811). 



Anthus cervinus, Naum. Vog. Deutschl. iii, pi. 85, fig. 1 (182.3) ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. x, p. 585 ; Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 17 

 (1867) ; Kocnig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 215 ; id. J.f. 0. 1893, p. 30 ; Erlanger, 

 J. f. 0. 1899, p. 318. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Gafsa, South Tunisia. 



Above brown, the feathers with blackish centres and buff-brown roargins, 

 more pronounced on back ; wings blackish-brown, secondaries and coverts 

 broadly fringed with buff-white ; outer pair of rectrices white on the ter- 

 minal half of inner web, the remaining half being blackish, the outer web 

 being brown at the base and very pale brown at the tip ; the adjoining 

 rectrices slightly tipped witli white on inner webs ; the remaining rectrices 

 dark browu ; a broad stripe of rufous-buff running from the base of the bill 

 over and below the eye ; lores and ear-coverts rufous-brown ; chin, throat, 

 sides of neck and breast vinous-chestnut, the lower breast and the flanks 

 being spotted with longitudinal dark markings ; rest of the underparts pale 

 buff; hind-claw as in A. pratensis. 



Iris dark brown ; bill dark brown ; feet light brown. 



Total length 5-75 inches, wing 3'40, culmen -45, tarsus '85. 



Adult female resembles the male, but the vinous-chestnut colour does 

 not extend so low down on the breast. 



