THE ROCK PiriT, 87 



eggs vary in number from fo ur to six, and diff er very m uch 

 in app earan ce. They are of a pale y ellowish or bro'\vnish- 

 white, spotted with brownish-red, the markings being 

 thick and r un t ogether at the lar ger e nd. Occas_ionally, 

 however, the ega;_s are almost en tire ly brown, and at otJier 

 times they may be seen of a greeiiisli-|0^rey colour with 

 a streak at the thi cker end. The surface of the eggs is 

 dujl and devoid of polish. 



The Rock Pipit, although not a migratory bird, is 

 certainly given to extensive movements in our own country, 

 for the birds are regularly found in the autumn and winter 

 on many portions of the coast, from wliich they as regu- 

 larly disappear in the spring. 



The male bird is very nearly six and three-quarter 

 inches in length, and the female a trifle less, but there is 

 no great difference in the plumage. The bill is dusky in 

 colour, both upper and lower mandibles being yellowish at the 

 base ; iris, a deep brown; a narrow whitish or yellowish- white 

 streak runs over the iris, and another beneath the hinder 

 part ; in some birds the upper streak is not always very 

 easily seen. The base of the bill has a few short bristly 

 feathers; the head and crown are brown, slightly tinged 

 with olive ; the neck on the sides is a greenish- white 

 streaked with brown ; and the back is pretty much the 

 same as the heajcl. Chin and throat a dull yellowish-white, 

 the latter streaked with brown; breast, a dull greenish- 

 white with brown streaks and spots, turning lower down 

 into a yellowish-white with fewer streaks; the sides are 

 olive-brown ; the back is a dull greenish-brown, the centre 

 of each feather being dark brown. The tail is rather long, 

 and extends about an inch and a half beyond the closed 

 wings ; it is dusky in colour, and the outside feathers are 



