PIPITS, OR TITLARKS. 39 



THE EED-THROATED PIPIT, 



{Anthus montanus.) 

 PLATE III. FIGURE III. 



THIS bird has also been called the "Red-breasted Pipit, with us it 

 is a yet more rare species than the one first described. Macgillivray 

 was the first to give a full account of it in his " Manual of British 

 Birds," and Morris claims the merit of having first given a figure of 

 it as a native species in his admirable " History of British Birds." 

 He describes it as being from six to six inches and a half in length, 

 and having a brownish black bill, from whose base a yellowish white 

 line extends over the eye; the head on the crown is ashy brown, 

 with each feather darker in the middle than at the edges; the neck 

 is whitish in the front, having the sides and lower parts streaked 

 with brown. In the spring this part has a rosy tinge, which also 

 spreads over the yellowish grey chin, throat, and breast, which is 

 streaked more or less with greyish brown, which last is the colour 

 of the back, only it is deepened with a slight tinge of olive. The 

 rather long tail has the two middle feathers ashy brown, the outer 

 blackish brown, which, with a purple tinge, is the colour of the legs, 

 toes, and claws. 



The scientific name, Anthus montanus, of or pertaining to mountains, 

 given to this bird, would seem to indicate that it was a frequenter 

 of hilly districts. Wilson, the American ornithologist, speaks of it 

 as the Eed Lark; Brisson calls it the Pennsylvanian Lark, showing 

 that it is known in America. A variety i/i names are applied to it by 

 other naturalists, scarcely any two of whom call it by the same name, 

 which seems to prove that but little as yet is known about it. 

 It is not included in Macgillivray's "History," although, as we said 

 before, his "Manual" has an account of it, the latter being the 

 more recent production. His opinion there expressed that it will 

 probably be found not uncommon in the mountainous parts of 

 Scotland, does not appsar to have been yet verified, although from 

 its resemblance to the other Pipits, especially A. aquaticus, it may 



