BIRDS OF THE SEASHORE 117 



Haunts. Rocky sea-coasts ; the only songster in- 

 habiting the seashore. 



Plumage. Upper parts olive-brown, each feather 

 having a dark centre ; a whitish eye-stripe ; a smoky 

 grey patch on inner web of outer tail-feathers, no white 

 on outer tail-feathers as in Meadow Pipit ; under parts 

 buffish white, spotted and streaked with dark brown. 

 Bill dark brown above ; paler below. Legs brown. 

 Length 6J in. Female similar. Young more streaked 

 and spotted. 



Language. Song much like Meadow Pipit's, and de- 

 livered on the wing as a rule, with a rock instead of a 

 low bush as a base. Call-note, " ist," persistently 

 repeated if disturbed. 



Habits. Note Almost indistinguishable from 

 Meadow Pipit, but this species never quits the seashore ; 

 much like the other Pipits. When alarmed it does not 

 fly far, but shifts uneasily about from rock to rock 

 uttering its call-note. 



Food. Marine insects and their larvae, small mollusca 

 and Crustacea ; also seeds. 



Nest. April onwards. Two broods. 



Site. Among or under rocks, &c. ; in clump of sea- 

 pink, or in tuft of grass. 



Materials. Bits of seaweed, grass and moss, lined with 

 fine grass and hair. 



Eggs. Four to five. Greenish white ; densely mot- 

 tled, especially at the large end, with dark brown ; like 

 Meadow Pipit's, but with no hair-like streak. 



RINGED PLOVER (gialitis hiaticola). 



Generally distributed along our coast-lines. A shore- 

 bird, breeding either on pebbly beaches, or among 

 sand-dunes. Sometimes found inland. 



Plumage. Band across forehead, lores and gorget 

 black ; white band across lower forehead ; white stripe 



