THE MEADOW PIPIT. 151 



little Moor, or Meadow Pipit, the most abundant little 

 bird on the moors around in summer, who prefers the 

 invigorating mountain breezes and the sparse vegetation 

 of the moor to the gentle zephyrs and arboreal haunts 

 of the cultivated lands. Should you stroll over the 

 moors in winter, scarcely a bird is seen, but if you post- 

 pone your visit until the smiling month of April, you see 

 them on every side, on the walls, the bushes, the boulders 

 of rock, or flitting uneasily over the heathery wastes, 

 the male birds ever and anon sallying into the air and 

 uttering their pleasing varied song as they return to 

 their perch in the same manner as the Tree Pipit. But 

 pause for a moment and observe the bird closely, and 

 you find that the Meadow Pipit reaches the zenith of his 

 flight in silence, and then as he comes gracefully down 

 again he warbles forth his song. Another very promi- 

 nent feature in the Meadow Pipit's economy is its par- 

 tiality for wet and marshy places. Wherever a bit of 

 marsh or little pool breaks the monotony of the seem- 

 ingly interminable moors, there too the Meadow Pipit is 

 invariably found. In the turnip fields and pastures, to 

 which the birds repair in winter, if marshy places occur, 

 they are seen most frequently on their borders. Doubt- 

 less this is owing to their food, for the Meadow Pipit 

 subsists on animal substances, such as small worms, 

 snails, and larvae, much more than on insects. 



The Meadow Pipit pairs very early in the season, 

 though you will seldom find their nest before the begin- 

 ning or middle of May. The site is often under some 

 friendly tuft of herbage ; sometimes you find the nest 

 placed far under a convenient stone, or at other times it 

 is placed amongst the reeds and rushes of a little marsh. 

 It is largely made of the moss growing so plentifully 

 all around, mixed with a little dry grass, and lined with 



