140 



more strongly built than those of the Skylark. Eggs 3 — 4, tolerably glossy, 

 ground colour yellowish white, more or less thickly spotted with grey and 

 brown, and occasionally with black hair lines or spots. Average of 7 eggs 

 (Reiser), 23.04X17.03 mm., average weight 194 mg. They were taken 

 May 25—28. 



[Another race E. alpestris hico^mis (Brehm) breeds on the edge of 

 the snow line on Hermon and Lebanon, in Palestine, building a compact 

 and deep nest in a tuft of Astragalus or Draba. (Tristram.)]* 



MOTACILLIDAE. 



71. Ricliartrs Pipit, xiiitlms ricliardi Yieill. 



Plate 18, fig. 24 (Siberia). 



Eggs: Thienemann, Fortpfl., Tab. XXV, fig. 14, a, b (?). HeAvitson, 

 II. Ed. I, pi. XXXVI, fig. 3; III. Ed. I, pi. XLIV, fig. 4. Baedeker, Tab. 35, 

 fig. 1. Journ. f. Orn. 1873, Tab. II, fig. 21. Seebohm, Br. Birds, pi. 14; 

 id. Col. Fig., pi. 58. 



Foreign Names: Bohemia: Lindiiska velka. Germany: Sjjornpieper. 

 Helgoland: Brililf. Hungary: Sarkantyiis Fipis. Italy: Titro. Norway: 

 Stor Piplaerke. Sweden: 8tor Piplarka. 



Anthiis ricliardi Yieill. Newton, ed. Yarrell, I, p. 598; Dresser, Birds 

 of Europe, IH, p. 325; id. Man. Pal. Birds, p. 219; Saunders, Man., p. 139. 

 A. ricliardi ricliardi Vieill. Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 265. 



Breeding Range: Siberia, Turkestan, Tibet and Mongolia. Has 

 strayed to most European countries. Although formerly supposed to have 

 bred in Europe, this species is now known to have its nesting grounds in 

 the plains of Siberia and China. Its western limit appears to be the steppes 

 of Turkestan, where Sewertzow found eggs, and Scully noticed it near 

 Yarkand in the breeding season, frec|uenting swampy ground. In the Yenesei 

 valley Seebohm found old and young plentiful in the low meadows by the 

 river in August, up to lat. 58° N. and Popham observed pairs near Yeniseisk 

 early in June. In the Baikal district Dybowski found it nesting plentifully 

 in 1868, and Hall describes it as found commonly on the Upper Lena, 

 while Przewalski and David also observed it breeding in marshy districts 

 in Mongolia. Hartert also records it from the Tian Shan, Charai, Nan Shan, 

 Kuku Nor, to the upper Chuan-che and Kan-su. A smaller race {A. in- 



* Bhamphocorys clot-bey Bp. which is found on the N. edge of the Sahara 

 in Algeria and Tunis, has not been recorded from Europe. Sitting bird and eggs 

 figured by Konig, Journ. f. Orn. 1895, Tab. XIV. 



