SOLITARY AND GREGARIOUS. 67 



congregate in numbers ; and though Colonel Mon- 

 tagu's authority cannot be disputed, when he states, 

 that he has observed the meadow-pipit (Anthus 

 pratensis, BECHSTEIN) " keeping together in small 

 flocks" during winter, we doubt whether this be 

 a common occurrence, or whether the birds he 

 saw might not be the families bred the preceding 

 summer. The rock-pipit (Anthus rupestris, NILS- 

 SON), which we had good opportunities of observing 

 on the wild rocky shores of Normandy, might almost 

 be considered gregarious from the numbers that are 

 crowded together in a small space ; but though a 

 dozen or more may be put up within a few yards, 

 they never take flight simultaneously in flocks, but 

 always separately, and they roost in the same 

 manner*. 



The wheat-ear (Saxicola (Enanthe, BECHSTEIN) 

 is another striking exception to our general remark. 

 Colonel Montagu, indeed, as in the case of the mea- 

 dow-pipit just mentioned, tells us of a vast number 

 of these birds having, on the 24th of March, 1804, 

 " made their appearance on the south coast of Devon, 

 near Kingsbridge, in a low sheltered situation, and 

 continued in jftock the whole of the day, busied in 

 search of food. The flock consisted entirely of males, 

 without a single female amongst themt." Pennant, 

 likewise, says, " about Eastbourne, in Sussex, they 

 are taken by the shepherds in great numbers the 

 numbers annually insnared in that district alone 

 amounting to about 1,840 dozen J." There can be 

 little doubt, however, that the statement of White 

 is the more correct. " During autumn vast quan- 

 tities," he tells us, " are caught on the South-downs, 

 near Lewes: there have been shepherds, I am 

 credibly informed, who have made many pounds in 



* J. R. t Ornith. Diet. p. 553, 2d edit. 



J Brit. Zool. p. 102, fol. edit. 



