ANTHUS AQUATICUS. 351 



Possibly the reason of its being so long unnoticed was its 

 frequenting the more rugged parts of our coast. It is quite 

 common about the rocks of St Andrews, from the " Doo 

 Craig," near the club-house, to the harbour, and along the rocks 

 at Kinkell. It frequents our rocks summer and winter, 

 independent of frost or snow, and can defy want better than most 

 birds, for each receding tide leaves its tiny food in winter — • 

 small mollusca or Crustacea, amongst the sea weed ; while in 

 summer it has insects broadcast. Snow and ice have no terrors 

 for it, as the ocean is master of its own domain — clearing the 

 rocks and sands of snow by the sweeping broom of the sea. It 

 is not gregarious. Its usual cry is a loud iveet, iveet, by which 

 we call it t s-ea-weet, which may be heard at all times, and their 

 dusky forms seen nimbly running on the slippery rocks, or 

 flying with their peculiar wavering flight at each receding tide 

 in winter — much to the perplexity of my two cocker dogs, for 

 nothing gave them greater pleasure or pain than yelping, 

 scampering, and sliding over the slippery rocks after them. 

 One of my notes, written 16th February 1856, says — "Went 

 to Eden to-day with my gun; saw about 100 hooded crows 

 and an immense number of different gulls on the West Sands, 

 feeding on the great quantity of shell-fish driven ashore by the 

 recent storm — verifying the old adage that ' it is an ill wind 

 that blows nobody good' ; and, as if rejoicing with them, the 

 sky-larks were joyously singing above the Links — the first time 

 I have heard them this year. Coming home by the sands at 

 low water I shot a fine male and female rock pipit near the 

 i Doo Craig.' They are here in abundance on the rocks 

 watching the receding tide." But although the birds are 

 plentiful, their nests are ill to get, as they build in untrod 

 places on the face of the rocky braes. The nest is composed of 

 bent and the roots of marine plants, lined, like the meadow 

 pipit's, with fine dry grass and fibres — sometimes with hair. 

 It breeds early, and lays five eggs, like the lark's, dirty grey, 

 speckled with darker brown. I have got them reddish-brown. 

 If you come near its nest it hovers uneasily, with its jerky, 

 uncertain flight, uttering its querulous cry of iveet, iveet, until 

 you leave the place. Its love song is short and shrill, and 

 generally sung on wing. It is larger than the meadow pipit, 

 more robust, and darker brown ; its bill is longer, but the claw 

 of the hind toe shorter, which distinguishes them. It is 6 J 

 inches long, by 10 j in extent of wings. General colour dark 

 olive brown, blended with draker spots ; bill, feet, and iris 



