ANTHUS. 311 



850. Anthus rosaceus. IMf/sons Pipit. 



Anthus rosaceus vel rufogularis, Hodys. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 83 

 (1844, descr. nulla). 



Anthus cervinus (Pa//.), apud Blyt.h, Cat. p. 130 ; Jerd. B. I. i, 

 p. 237. 



Anthus roseaceus, Hodys., Horsf. Sf M. Cat. i, p. 357. 



Anthus rosaceus, Hodys., Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 61 ; Brooks, 

 J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 83 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 386 ; id. S. F. ii, 

 p. 241 ; Brooks, S. F. iii, p. 252 ; Hume, Cat. no. 605 ; Scully, 

 S. F. viii, p. 317 ; Oates, B. B. i, p. 170 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x, 

 p. 589 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 236 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. 

 ii, p. iMii. 

 The Vinous-throated Pipit, Jerd. 



Coloration. The fully adult bird has the upper plumage dark 

 brovvii or blackish, the feathers broadly margined with olivaceous 

 brown ; wings dark brown, margined with olivaceous and the 

 median coverts broadly tipped with the same ; tail dark brown, 

 half the outermost feather diagonally white, the penultimate with 

 a triangular white tip ; lores dusky ; ear-coverts brown streaked 

 with yellowish ; a broad supercilium, chin, throat, fore neck, and 

 middle of the breast vinous-pink ; sides of the breast vinous pink- 

 grey, streaked with black ; remainder of lower plumage pale fulvous, 

 the sides of the body boldly and coarsely streaked with black ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts yellow ; during the summer the 

 green tinge on the upper plumage fades away and is almost entirely 

 absent. 



The young bird has the axillaries and under wing-coverts yellow 

 as in the adult, but has no trace of vinous-pink on the head and 

 breast. The upper plumage, wings, and tail are as in the adult, 

 and the whole fore neck and breast are thickly and coarsely streaked 

 with black. The amount of streaking diminishes at each successive 

 spring moult and the amount of pinkish grey acquired increases. 



Bill dusky, blackish on culmen and fleshy brown at base of lower 

 mandible ; iris dark brown ; feet brownish fleshy ; claws dusky 

 (Scully). 



Length about 6-5 ; tail 2'8 ; wing 3'6 ; tarsus -9 ; bill from 

 gape '75 ; hind claw -4. 



Distribution. Found in winter on the lower slopes of the Hima- 

 layas from Kashmir to Assam and in the plains of the Punjab and 

 N.W. Provinces, extending on the east down to Manipur and, 

 according to Blyth, to Arrakan. This species is found in summer 

 on the higher parts of the Himalayas from 12,000 to 15,000 feet, 

 and at this season it appears to be found also in Western China 

 and probably in Turkestan. Westwards it extends to Afghanistan. 



//I>its, <$fc. There is little authentic information regarding the 

 nidification of this Pipit. A nest found in Nepal in May \\ ;i> ;i 

 pad of grass phu-rd on the ground and contained two eggs. An 

 egg from Uarjiling is described as being greyish white, marked with 

 earthy brown, and as measuring -85 by '6. 



