30S Birds of Xorth Carolina 



and leaving early in October. It frcciucnts wooded streams particularly, and often 

 builds its nest in birches and other lowland gro\vth. The eggs are four, usually 

 laid about the middle of ^lay, and are white in ground-color, speckled and spotted 

 with various shades of brown and gray, chiefly around the larger end. Size .03 x .48. 

 The nest is a compact, cup-shaped structure, made of shreds of plants and fibers 

 held together with spiders' webs and lined with fine grass and hair. The nest may 

 be placed in a fork, or saddled on a horizontal limb, at a height of five to fortj' 

 feet from the ground. 



The male Redstart almost invariably sjjreads his tail when flying, and thus ex- 

 hibits the conspicuous orange patches which it bears. 



At Raleigh many of the breeding males are found to be in immature ijlumage 

 with little or no black, which fact is said to be an indication of the species being 

 near the limit of its breeding range. 



52. FAMILY MOTACILLID/C. WAGTAILS AND PIPITS 



Genus Anthus (Bechst.) 

 314. Anthus rubescens {TunM.). I'h'it. 



Disrriplidii: Ai/s. in winlcr. — Outer t;iil-feallirr liirnely whitp, next one or two wliito-tipprd. 

 Abovi' wanii grayish lirown; wing-covert s lipped willi whitish or InilTv; hmgest. tertiul longer 

 than hfth primary; a whitish or huffy line over eye; Ijelow bulTy (wliitish just before spring molt), 

 bre;i.st and sides streaked with fuscous; hind toe-nail longc'st, as long as or longer than its toe. 

 After spring molt upperparts grayer, imilerpurts more pinkish bulT; but these colors fade a.s 

 breeding .se:ison advances. L., ti.:{S; W., :i.r,i); T., 2.()9; B., A7. (Chap., liinl.i nf E. N. A.) 



Range. — North America, breeding far northward and in the higher Rocky Mountains. 



Range in North Cdralhia. — Whole State in winter. 



Fig. 252. I'leiT. 



The Pipit or Titlark, locally called "Skylark," is an irregular winter visitor in 

 eastern and central Xorth Carolina from th(> latter part of October to about the 

 end of March. While here it travels in large flocks, fre([ueiiting open fi(>Uls, where 

 the surface of the groimd is coniparalively bare. Its gait is a walk, not a hop, and 

 it wags its tail contimially as it moves. 



In the mountain region it would ajjpear to be a transient rather than a winter 

 visitor, as Cairns records it from Buncombe County only in spring and fall, and 

 at Andrews it litis been noted from Octol)er 29 to neceniber 1.") in autumn, and 

 February 21 to March 22 in spring. 



