The Meadow- Pipit. 197 



and perhaps to some of the elevated regions still further south ; but in the basin 

 of the Mediterranean the bird is principally known as a visitor on migration and 

 in winter. Eastward, it is found in Asia Minor, Palestine, Western Turkestan, 

 and the valley of the Ob in Siberia ; while its southern wanderings reach North 

 Africa, from Morocco to Egypt." 



Throughout Great Britain the Meadow-Pipit, otherwise known as Tit-Lark, 

 Titling, Moss-cheeper, Ling-bird, etc., is resident, common, and generally distributed: 

 in the autumn the numbers of resident birds are temporarily largely added to, by 

 immense flocks travelling southwards, and it is probable that many of the native 

 specimens join these migrating hordes which leave our coasts and are seen no 

 more until the following IMarch : nevertheless great numbers remain with ns 

 during the winter. 



The adult male of this species is olive-brown above, the feathers having dark 

 centres, which, however, are less distinctly marked on the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; wings dark brown, the primaries with j-ellowish margins to the outer 

 webs ; the coverts and secondaries with whitish margins ; tail dark-brown, the 

 outermost pair of feathers nearly half white, and the next pair with a white sub- 

 terminal spot ; a narrow dull-white superciliary stripe ; under surface almost white, 

 the sides of neck, breast, and flanks streaked with brownish-black : bill dark-brown, 

 the lower mandible paler towards the base ; feet pale-brown, with long and slightly 

 curved hind-claw : iris dark-brown. The female closely resembles the male, but is 

 less strongly spotted on the breast and streaked below. After the autumn moult 

 the colouring both above and below becomes yellower. Young birds are more buff 

 in tint, with the streaks of the under surface smaller and browner. 



This species is most abundant in summer on the upland moors, but is by no 

 means confined to the mountains, for numbers may alwa3'S be met with throughout 

 the year on the open commons, farm lands, and pastures of the plains ; towards 

 winter also, the higher and more exposed regions are deserted in favour of the 

 better sheltered localities of the lowlands, and particularly those near the sea-shore. 

 In its habits the Meadow-Pipit, as its name indicates, is much less arboreal than 

 the Tree-Pipit, perching far more frequently on bushes, rocks, or low walls than 

 on trees : its flight is similar to that of the Wagtails ; but like the Meadow- Pipit 

 it often indulges in an upward song-flight. 



The song is not so loud or prolonged as that of Anthus trivialis, and the late 

 Mr. Charles A. Witchell says that it "rises crying, chihvick, chuwick, ckuwick, 

 repeated many times, and descends singing, tsee tsee fsee repeated ; or else it 

 changes the accent from the first to the second .syllable in the first cries, and 

 ascends with chuwick chmvick repeated, with the same ending as before." The call- 



