146 



Con- Seebohm and Harvie Brown found this species breeding on the swampy 



tinentai ^^^^j-g^ [^ \^q Petschora valley, about 674" N., beyond the limits of forest 



Europe. _ . . . " . 



growth, but interspersed with willow thickets, in June 1875. It was not 



uncommon near Alexievna and several nests were brought in by natives, 



but was not observed further north. [In Siberia Finsch and Brehm 



recorded it from the estuary of the Ob in 1876: Seebohm found it common 



about lat. 704° in the Yenesei valley in 1877; Popham took one nest in 



lat. 69" 40' in 1897, and afterwards found it breeding in some numbers in 



the marshes N. of Toorrukhansk in 1900, obtaining four nests. It has also 



been obtained in Tschuski Land, N. of Kamtschatka and on Bering Island.] 



Nest. Popham describes the first nest found by him as placed in a rather 



swampy place among dwarf willows, well hidden by a tussock of grass, 



which quite concealed the eggs. The bird fluttered along on the ground 



when flushed from the nest. Seebohm observes that the materials used 



are chiefly flat leaved grasses and water plants, with small leaves, and 



occasionally a few dwarf Equiseta. 



Eggs. 4 — 5 in number, and variable in colouring, some eggs being almost 



uniform dark brown, with a black hairstreak or spot, while others are 



much lighter, being almost covered with smaU yellowish brown spots, in 



some cases with purplish marbling and in others with a dark cap or zone 



at the big end. 



Breeding On the Petschora Seebohm obtained fresh eggs from June 22 to the 



Season. ^^^^ week of July. On the Yenesei Popham took a nest on June 26, and 



Seebohm received eggs at the end of June and early July, while young 



were being fed by the parent birds on July 25. 



Measure- Average of 14 eggs in the British Museum, 21.36 X 14.76 mm.. Max. 



ments. 22 X 15.2 mm., Min. 20.5 X 15 and 22 X 14 mm. According to Dresser 



however they range from 24.9 X 16.5 to 20.3 X 14.7 mm. 



75. Meadow Pipit, Antlius i)ratensis L. 



Plate 17, fig. 22—27 (Lapland). 



Eggs: Thienemann, Fortpfl., Tab. XXV, fig. 8, a— c. Hewitson, L Ed. I, 

 pi. LXVm, fig. 2, 3; II. Ed. I, pi. XXXVI, fig. 1; III. Ed. I, pi. XLIV, 

 fig. 1, 2. Baedeker, Tab. 35, fig. 5. Taczanowski, Tab. LXI, fig. 4. See- 

 bohm, Br. Birds, pi. 14; id. Col. Fig., pi. 58 a. Frohawk, Br. Birds, pi. Ill, 

 fig. 101. 



British Local Names: Tit-, Ground, Mountain, Meadoiv or Peat 

 Lark; Ling Bird, Moor Titling or Peep. Welsh: Ehedydd Bach, Owas 

 y gog. Manx: Ushag y veet. Scotland: Moss Cheeper, Cheefinch, Heather 

 Lintie. Orkneys: Teeting. Shetlands: Teetick, Hill Sparrow. Gaelic: 

 Glasian. Erse: Kirkeen (phon.). 



