THE PIPITS 261 



White was still writing to Pennant, and when birds, instead of being 

 collected, as now, into various centres or focuses, within the walls 

 of buildings, were distributed generally about the countryside, thus 

 lending themselves, in a superior degree, to field observation, it 

 used to be noticed that the titlark, though its strains were certainly 

 inferior to those of Alauda arvensis, yet uttered them whilst descend- 

 ing from the heavens evan though it were the nearer heavens after 

 the manner of that sweet singer, and that the tree- or field-lark (now 

 the tree-pipit) both did the same, and had, also, a song which not only 

 reminded one of the skylark's, but was even worthy to be compared 

 with it. "Nous avons cliange tout cela" but to the ornithologists of 

 those days it may well have seemed that so striking a similarity, not 

 standing alone, but enforced and supported by the further credentials 

 of a general rappi-ochement in appearance, ways, and deportment, was 

 sufficient to justify the popular view that pipits were only less finely- 

 touched larks, and larks but more glorified pipits. 



It must be allowed, indeed though some twittering little aerial 

 frolics are not to be denied to the latter that in the double link of 

 melody and the manner and medium of its pouring forth, it is with 

 the Alaudidce, rather than with the Motacillidce, that the Anthidce 

 challenge comparison. For if the wood- or tree-lark, when he sings, 

 rises, not " from sullen earth," but from the high bough on which he 

 has been hitherto perched, so likewise does the tree-pipit, and 

 descends like him and like the skylark too in a measure whilst, for 

 the song itself, there is, at least, one quality which, by the consent of 

 all, the two latter have in common that of perfect and utter 

 joyousness. In that, Trivialis excels amongst pipits, as does Arvensis 

 amongst larks nay, if that alone be made the criterion, some may 

 think that there is no " bird's throat " sweeter than his, and that, 

 taken in conjunction with the raised, expanded wings silvery 

 almost on the underside and small, speckled body slowly, melo- 

 diously sinking and with the fanned tail, too for all in all, 

 there is nothing decisively surpassing it in the whole of our British 



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