'92 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



Siberia, also through Turkestan to the Altai Mountains. South of the Pyrenees 

 and Northern Italy the Tree-Pipit is met with on migration and in winter, as also 

 in Morocco and Algeria in N.W. Africa, eastward to Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia. 

 It has even been said to occur as far to the south as Caffraria. 



In Great Britain this bird only occurs as a summer visitor, being pretty 

 generally distributed and common in England, with the exception of western 

 Cornwall and Wales, where it is scarce ; in Scotland it is rarer and far more local, 

 with the exception of the neighbourhood of Glasgow where it is abundant. It has 

 not been met with in Ireland, according to Howard Saunders ; but Mr. C. W. 

 Benson (in the "Zoologist" for 1878, p. 348) mentions the occurrence of a pair in 

 Dublin, and Mr. H. C. Hart states that he found a nest thirteen years previously 

 in the same county.* 



The upper surface of this species in breeding plumage is clear sandy brown, 

 with dark centres to the feathers, less prominent on the rump ; wings dark brown, 

 the coverts and secondaries with paler margins ; tail for the most part dark brown, 

 but the outermost feathers white, with a brown stripe on the inner web, and the 

 next feather on each side broadly tipped with white ; a buff superciliary stripe ; 

 chin and belly whitish, remainder of under surface buff; a dark streak from the 

 base of the bill to the sides of the neck, where there are other dark brown streaks 

 and spots, as also at the sides of the breast and flanks : bill brown, the base of 

 lower mandible paler ; feet flesh-colour ; iris hazel. The female is slightly smaller, 

 and has less defined breast-spots than the male. After the autumn moult the buff 

 of the under surface is more pronounced. Birds of the year are more spotted on 

 the breast and flanks, but these markings are smaller than in adult birds. 



The shorter and more covered hind claw, larger size, somewhat longer tail, 

 warmer colouring, and paler legs, distinguish this bird from the Meadow-Pipit. 



This species usually makes its appearance in England early in April, though 

 sometimes not before the third week, and in the south of Scotland early in May : 

 its favourite haunts are pastures on the outskirts of plantations, shrubberies inter- 

 spersed with large trees, or woods ; also large gardens, parks, tall hedgerows, but 

 more, especially uneven hedges, with here and there a tall tree : here one can best 

 observe its curious caricature of the Skylark's upward flight, rising perpendicularly 

 for a short distance and thence, with expanded wings and tail, dropping spirally, 

 singing the while. 



In his "Evolution of Bird-song," p. 118, Mr. Charles A. Witchell thus renders 

 the song of the Tree- Pipit : " Chee chee chee chee eechaw eechaw whee whee whee whec 

 whee. whee : or eechaw eechaw chee chee chee chee judge judge judge judge whee whee whee 



* cf. Seebohm's British Birds, Vol. II., p. 219. 



