236 WAGTAILS AND PIPITS 



hand, and the rock-pipit on the other, by the markings on the tail feathers, which 

 agree with those of the adult, [w. p. P.] 



2. Distribution. The great mountain ranges of Central and Southern 

 Europe (Sierra de Gredos, Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Riesengebirge, Carpathians, 

 and others). It also breeds in Asia Minor, but is replaced by a local race in the 

 Caucasus, and perhaps also the Urals. 



3. Migration. Probably a fairly regular autumn visitor in small numbers 

 to the southern coasts of England from the Continent. It must undoubtedly 

 be very often overlooked, but, on the other hand, reputed examples have 

 sometimes proved to be rock-pipits of the Scandinavian race, A. spinoletta 

 littoralis, which not infrequently occur. As with the tawny-pipit, most of 

 the records are from Sussex, but there are single records from Kent, Norfolk, 

 Lincoln, Oxford, the Isle of Wight, and the Scilly Isles (cf. Saunders, Manual 

 of British Birds, 1899, p. 141; and British Birds, vol. i. pp. 113, 114). There 

 are also three Welsh records, all from the Glaslyn Estuary, Carnarvonshire, 

 but some pipits of dusky hue seen from time to time in the Welsh mountains in 

 summer may possibly belong to this species (cf. Forrest, Fauna N. Wales, 1907, 

 pp. 122, 123). The only Irish record is that of an example obtained in Co. Dublin 

 hi 1861 (cf. Ussher, List of Irish Birds, 1908, p. 15), and there is no record from 

 Scotland. November and April appear to be the months of the chief migrations, 

 but the British records include examples got in every month from September 

 to June. [A. L. T.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. Does not breed in the British Isles. 



5. Food. Insects, small molluscs, and seeds. [A. L. T.] 



ROCK-PIPIT [Anihus spinoletta obscurus (Latham). Sea-titling, rock-, 

 sea-, or sand-lark, sea-lintie. French, pipi des roches]. 



i. Description. The rock-pipit is to be distinguished from all the other 

 pipits by the fact that the white areas of the penultimate and outermost tail 

 feathers are replaced by smoky white. (PI. 30.) The sexes are indistinguishable. 

 Length 6'25 in. [158'75 mm.]. The upper parts are of an olive-brown striated with 

 darker brown : there is no superciliary stripe : the under parts have the throat 

 dull white, the rest of the under parts dull white heavily striated with broad 

 ill-defined streaks of dark brown across the breast and along the flanks. The 

 median and greater coverts and long inner secondaries tipped and margined with 



