THE AMERICAN PIPIT. 



for she flushes at long distances. Either she will slip otT quietly and sneak at 

 thirty yards, or else flush straight at a hundred. When the nest is discovered 

 she is quite as likely to ignore the intruder, and seldom ventures near enough 

 to betray ownership. On the other hand, given patience and ;i pair of strong 

 binoculars, "tracking" is not a difiicult accomplishment. 



No. 90. 

 AMERICAN PIPIT. 



A. O. U. No. 697. Anthiis rubescens (Tunstall). 



Sjnonyms. — Ampiricax Titlark. Brown Lark. Louisiana Piimt. 



Description. — Adult in spring: Above soft and dark grayish brown with 

 an nlive shade: feathers of crown and back with darker centers; wings and tail 

 ilusky with paler edging, the pale tips of coverts forming two indistinct bars ; 

 outer pair of tail-'eathers extensively white; next pair white-tipped; superciliary 

 line, eye-ring and underparts light grayish brown or buiTy, the latter streaked 

 with dusky except on middle of throat and lower belly,-- heavily on sides of 

 tliroat and across breast, narrowly on lower breast and sides. Winter plumage: 

 .\bovc, browner ; below, duller butty ; more broadly streaked on lireast. Length 

 6.00-7.00 (152.4-177.8) : wing 3.37 (85.6): tail 2.53 (64.3); bill .46 (11.7); 

 tarsus .yo (22.9). 



Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; brown above; huffy or brownish with 

 dusky s])ots below : best known by tlip-yip notes repeated when rising from 

 ground or flying overlicad. 



Nesting. — Nest: at high altitudes, a ihick-walled structure of grasses and 

 moss set into deep excavation in sloping hillside or in cranny of clift'. Eggs: 

 4-6, usually 5, .so heavily sj)eckled and spotted with reddish or dark brown as 

 almost entirely to obscure the whitish ground color. Often, except ui)on close 

 examination, the effect is of a uniform chocolate-colored egg. .\v. size .jj x .^7 

 (19.6 X 14.5). Season: ]\.me 15-July 25; one brood. 



General Range. — North .America at large, breeding in the liigher parts of 

 the Rocky and Cascade MouiUains and in sub-Arctic regions : wintering in the 

 Ciulf States, Mexico, and Central .America. Accidental in Europe. 



Range in Washington. — Abundant during migrations; common suuiincr 

 resident in Cascade .MouiUains above timber-line; winters sjiaringlv west of 

 mountains. 



Migrations. — Nomadic; retires from mountains early iti Sei)teinber ; moves 

 southward across State Oct. 15-Dec. 15; northward April i-May 15. 



Authorities. — ? Townsend, Journ. .Ac. Nat. Sci., Phila., MIL, 1839, 154 

 (Columbia River). .Inthiis ludoi'icianus. Licht. Baird, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv. 

 IX. \iX. IT., 1858, p. 233. T. C&S. L'. Rh. D'. Sr. Ra. D-\ J. B'. E. 



Specimens. — V . of W. 1". I'rov. B. E. 



THiv .\merican Pipit does not su.stain the habitual dignity of tJie boreal 

 breed. He is no clown, indeed, like our Chat, nor does lie quite belong to the 



