TREE-PIPIT 79 



violent way in which the bird talked, he seemed 

 to have a very strong objection to being photo- 

 graphed at all. 



The photograph of the young Tree-Pipit was 

 obtained in a similar way. During the operation 

 the hen Pipit was in a great fume ; she came and 

 sat near on the ground calling plaintively weet, 

 weet, all the time ; and when I went off she 

 followed for some distance apparently loudly 

 scolding me, although all the time she had a 

 grub in her mouth. 



The Tree-Pipit is one of the first of migrants to 

 arrive in these parts, and each season they build 

 very near the place chosen in the previous year. 

 As soon as they arrive they go to their old 

 building site, and remain near for the rest of the 

 season. In or about the first week in April, I 

 always hear their song for the first time coming 

 from the same bush near to which they have built 

 for years. When singing, they usually begin while 

 perched on a fence or on one of the topmost 

 branches of a tree ; and while singing, the bird 

 rises in the air to a certain height, and then, with 

 wings outstretched, and tail elevated and spread 

 Dut, gradually descends calling, see-ar y see-ar^ see-ar, 

 mtil the perch from which it started is reached. 

 Throughout a summer day the male keeps up this 



