THE MEADOW-PIPIT. 179 



Latter half of May and early June ; occasionally early in May. 

 One brood. Incubation. — ^Lasts 13-14 days, apparently by hen 

 only. 



Food. — Chiefly insects (small coleoptera, orthoptera, many species 

 ■of diptera, hymenoptera, etc., as well as their larvae), also 

 spiders. 



Distribution. — England and Wales. — Summer-resident. Fairly 

 •distributed and common except west Cornwall, but occurs autumn 

 and has bred on Scilly Isles. Scotland. — Plentiful south-west and 

 iairly distributed elsewhere to central, but rarer northwards ; 

 very rare Sutherland, and does not breed Caithness, not recorded 

 Shetlands, and only once or twice Orkneys and O. Hebrides until 

 autumn 1910 when a good many St. Kilda and 1913 when quite 

 abundant Auskerry, regular spring and autumn passage-migrant 

 Fair Isle. Ireland. — One singing co. Galway May 21, 1914. Several 

 ;Sept. and Oct. 1912, 1913 and 1915 Tuskar Rock (Wexford). One 

 iSept. 1913 Rockabill (Dublin). Previously reported occurrences 

 not authenticated. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe from Tromso and north Russia 

 to north Spain, higher portions of Italy, and in small numbers to 

 south-east Europe (mountains of Greece), in Asia to the Yenisei 

 and Tian-Shan. Migrates in winter to Mediterranean, tropical 

 Africa, and north-west India. Replaced by an alHed race (often 

 treated as separate species) in north-east Siberia, Japan, China 

 and bv others in Kashmir, Kansu and south-west China. 



ANTHUS PRATENSIS 



71. Anthus pratensis (L.)— THE MEADOW-PIPIT. 



Alatjda pratensis LinnfEus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 166 (1758 — "Habitat 

 in Europae pratis." Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Anthua pratensis (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 575 ; Saunders, p. 133. 



Description. — -Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown, nape, 

 mantle and back olive, greenish-brown, or buffish-brown (occasion- 

 ally pinkish-brown), streaked black- brown ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts same but almost uniform with only very fine indistinct 

 dark streaks ; superciliary stripe greyish or yellowish-white ; 

 ■ear-coverts brown or yellowish-brown ; chin, centre of throat, 

 belly, and under tail-coverts whitish-grey or yellowish-buff 

 (occasionally pinkish-buff) ; sides of throat, breast and flanks 

 :same but broadly streaked brown-black ; axiUaries dusky-grey 

 fringed very pale yellow ; tail-feathers black-brown, central pair 

 fringed same colour as upper tail-coverts, outer pair with dusky- 

 ■white outer web and large white wedge-shaped mark on inner 



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