THE MEADOW-PIPIT. 195 



Family MOTA CILLID/E. 



THE MEADOW-PIPIT. 



Anthus pratensis, LJNN. 



A CCORDING to Howard Saunders the breeding range of this, the smallest 

 \. of our Pipits, " extends from the North Cape over the greater part of 

 Europe to the Pyrenees, the northern portions of Italy and the Carpathians, and 

 perhaps to some of the elevated regions still further south ; but in the basin of the 

 Mediterranean the bird is principally known as a visitor on migration and in 

 winter. Eastward, it is found in Asia Minor, Palestine, Western Turkestan, and 

 the valley of the Ob in Siberia ; while its southern wanderings reach North Africa, 

 from Morocco to Egypt." 



Throughout Great Britain the Meadow-Pipit, otherwise known as Titlark, 

 Titling, Moss-cheeper, Ling-bird, etc., is resident, common, and generally distributed: 

 in the autumn the numbers of resident birds are temporarily largely added to, by 

 immense flocks travelling southwards, and it is probable that many of the native 

 specimens join these migrating hordes which leave our coasts and are seen no 

 more until the following March : nevertheless great numbers remain with us during 

 the winter. 



The adult male of this species is olive-brown above, the feathers having dark 

 centres, which however are less distinctly marked on the rump and upper tail- 

 coverts ; wings dark brown, the primaries with yellowish margins to the outer 

 webs ; the coverts and secondaries with whitish margins ; tail dark brown, the 

 outermost pair of feathers nearly half white, and the next pair with a white sub- 

 terminal spot ; a narrow dull-white superciliary stripe ; under surface almost white, 

 the sides of neck, breast, and flanks streaked with brownish-black : bill dark-brown, 

 the lower mandible paler towards the base ; feet pale brown, with long and slightly 

 curved hind-claw : iris dark brown. The female closely resembles the male, but is 

 less strongly streaked below. After the autumn moult the colouring both above 

 and below becomes yellower. Young birds are more buff in tint, with the streaks 

 of the under surface smaller and browner. 



This species is most abundant in summer on the upland moors, but is by no 



