The Common Birds oj the Nilgiris 



the charming song must be familiar to all 

 residents of Madras. On the Nilgiris the bird 

 is not sufficiently common to require more than 

 passing notice. 



The pipits are members of the wagtail family. 

 They have not the lively colouring of the 

 wagtails, being clothed, like skylarks, in homely 

 brown, spotted or streaked with dark brown or 

 black. They have the wagtail trick of wagging 

 the tail, but they perform the action in a half- 

 hearted manner. 



The two pipits most often seen on the 

 Nilgiris in summer are the Nilgiri pipit (Anthus 

 nilgirensis) and the Indian pipit (A. rufulus). I 

 know of no certain method of distinguishing 

 these two species without catching them and 

 examining the hind toe. This is much shorter 

 in the former than in the latter species. The 

 Nilgiri pipit goes about singly or in pairs, and, 

 although it frequents grassy land, it usually 

 keeps to cover and flies into a tree or bush 

 when alarmed. It is confined to the highest 

 parts of the Nilgiris. The Indian pipit affects 

 open country and seems never to perch in 

 trees. 



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