ON THE MOOR 53 



pipit. In arranging collections, I have found it 

 hard to tell a cuckoo's egg from a meadow-pipit's, 

 except from its greater size, so completely does 

 nature enter into the conspiracy. The hunt for 

 titlark's nests, therefore, and the scanning of the 

 eggs, is always interesting, and exciting, when 

 cuckoos are about. 



The meadow-pipit is entirely a moorland bird, 

 confining himself to untilled wastes, and the region 

 of natural grasses. He comes midway between the 

 lark of the cultivated fields, and the rock-pipit of 

 our sea-coasts ; sharing the wilder half of the 

 former's domain, and just bordering on that of 

 the latter. He is known as the moss-cheeper, and 

 is credited with the lapwing's art, of making a great 

 fuss at a distance from the nest, to mislead the 

 searcher. 



A shrill cry, very distantly resembling " curlew, 

 curlew," varied by a loud and quavering whistle, 

 rises above all other sounds. Generally, the whistle 

 is used when at rest ; " curlew " when on the wing. 

 I am approaching the domain of moorland birds. 



The species occupy certain well-defined zones. 

 Entering from the landward side of a coast moor 

 like this, one expects the first greeting from the 

 lapwing, and the second from the curlew ; crossing 



