THE PIPITS 273 



in great numbers, on the wild rocky shores of Normandy, and, if 

 not quite gregarious, very nearly so." Ralfe, however, in the Isle 

 of Man does not find them even nearly gregarious, but says that " it 

 is rare to see more than one or two together." * Finally, there are 

 those who, in the month of November, at the mouth of the Tees, have 

 " frequently seen small flocks consisting of from twelve to fourteen 

 individuals." 2 This, as may be gathered, was during the autumn 

 migration, when we see the bird in its most festive mood, for that 

 belonging to the spring " is not so pronounced." The tree- and rock- 

 pipit would appear to be much alike, therefore, in regard to gregari- 

 ousness, or, at any rate, the latter does sometimes arrive at what is 

 habitual with the former. The water-pipit, on the other hand, much 

 more resembles Pratensis, in this respect, and has been observed, by 

 Gloger, 4 in flocks of over a hundred, and, in one case, between one 

 and two hundred, on the meadows bordering the Elbe, so early as 

 August. Gloger made the observation that, whilst the flock, as a 

 whole, were a good deal spread out, small parties in it were in close 

 company, and these he believes to have been family parties. The 

 rising of any member of such a family would, however presumably, 

 through the rest soon following lead to that of the whole host. 

 Here, within the flock itself, we seem to see the origin of flocking 

 the amalgamation, namely, of such single family parties. But for the 

 last-cited circumstance, indeed, it might not appear, from this account, 

 that the birds, strictly speaking, formed only one flock. It is to be 

 presumed, however, that, upon rising, the numbers coalesced. Prob- 

 ably, in all these cases, the flocking commences with the young birds 

 of the first brood, but Bailly specially mentions that this is so in the 

 case of the water-pipit, and gives us a pretty little picture (one of a 

 very great many 5 ) of these neophytes met together in the early morning, 

 "dans quelque lieu expose aux premiers rayons solaires," where they form 



1 Birds of the Isle of Man. 2 Nelson and Clarke, Birds of Yorkshire. 



3 Ibid. ' Quoted in Naumann. 



5 Bailly should be on every bird-lover's book-shelf (instead of which I believe he is out 

 of print). 



