184 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



breast is distinctive. In autumn the dark-centred rump-feathers 

 and upper tail-coverts should be looked for (N.F.T.). 



Breeding-habits. — Havmts swampy ground, nesting in recesses in 

 sides of hummockS; sometimes sheltered by dwarf scrub. Nest. — 

 Built of dry grasses and bents, Hned finer grasses and occasionally 

 hair, but no feathers. Eggs. — Usually 5 or 6, rarely 7, extremely 

 variable, ranging from evenly freckled markings on blue-green 

 ground to almost uniform ochreous with a dark hair-line, or with 

 rich mahogany-red cloudings, or bold sepia markings on olive-grey 

 ground. Average of 100 eggs, 19.2 X 12.2 mm. Breeding-season. 

 — ^From about mid-Jvine to early July. One brood. iTicuhation. — 

 Exact period unlaiown ; hen found incubating. 



Food. — Principally insects and their larvae (diptera, coleoptera, etc.), 

 also small worms, and in winter also fresh water mollusca and 

 grass-seeds. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Twelve. One Unst (Shetlands), 

 May 4, 1854. One St. Leonards (Sussex), Nov. 13, 1895 (Saunders, 

 p. '135). One Achill (Mayo), May 26th, 1895 {Bull. B.O.C., 

 XII, p. 15). One Ninfield (Sussex), Nov. 26, 1901 {Bull. B.O.C, 

 xn, p. 35). Two autumn, 1908, Fair Isle {Ann. S.N.H., 1909, p. 72). 

 One Rother Marshes (Kent), April 29, 1909 {Hist. Birds Kent, 

 p. 104). St. Kilda, one seen and heard Sept. 21, 1910, one seen 

 Oct. 8, 1911 (W. E. Clarke, Studies in Bird Migration, ii, p. 212). 

 Two Hooe (Sussex), May 22, 1913 {Brit. B., vii, p. 52). One Aus- 

 kerry (Orkney), Oct. 1, 1913 {Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 7). [Specimens 

 from Brighton, 1884, and Rainham, 1880 (Saunders, p. 135) are 

 A. pratensis {Brit. B., ii, pp. 278-9), as also one from Donegal, 

 Aug., 1898.J 



Distribution, — Abroad. — Breeds in high north of Europe and Asia. 

 Migrant, wintering in India (in small numbers even in Malay Archi- 

 pelago), south Arabia, Nubia, and Egypt to east Africa. Rare or 

 irregular visitor to west Europe and north-west Africa. Casual 

 in Aleutian Isles and south California. 



ANTHUS SPINOLETTA 



73. Anthus spinoletta spinoletta (L.)— THE WATER-PIPIT. 



Alauda Spinoletta Linnapus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 166 (1758 — Italy). 



Anthus spinoletta, Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B., ii, p. 248. 



AntMts spipoletta (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 581 ; Saunders, p. 141. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Resembling 

 A. s. petrosus (see p. 188), but upper-parts considerably more warm 

 brown and without greenish-olive tinge ; rump uniform warm 

 brown ; eye- stripe rather more distinct and whiter ; under-parts 

 much purer white and the dark streaks warm brown instead of 



