170 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS 



distinguishable though it may easily be passed over unless carefully 

 looked at. Usually not shy in my experience, but is stated to 

 be so in Fair Isle by Mr. W. E. Clarke. Flies low, and has rather 

 loud, sharp call-note. Its song is pleasing but slight, but is 

 probably not to be heard in this country. Collett states that it 

 gives its full song only when perched, and when mounting and 

 descending with wavy motion in the air it only utters intermittent 

 notes (H.F.W.). 



BREEDING-HABITS. Nests in hollow of ground in peaty soil, 

 sheltered by grass tussock, and often near stone. Nest. Loosely 

 built of dry grasses and stalks, lined with down of willow, arctic 

 coltsfoot, and cotton rush or reindeer hair. Eggs. Usually 4, 

 sometimes 3 to 5. Variable, ground greenish-white, thickly freckled 

 fine yellowish-brown spots, paler as a rule than Sky-Lark's, some- 

 times with few bold spots or dark zone and not uncommonly a 

 blackish hair-line. Average of 100 eggs, 22.7 x 16.2mm. Breeding- 

 season. From mid-May to July in north Europe, often not before 

 June. Incubation. Period unknown. Two broods reared as a 

 rule. 



FOOD. In summer seeds, buds and insects, especially small diptera 

 and coleoptera and their larvae. During autumn and winter small 

 mollusca and Crustacea also eaten. 



DISTRIBUTION. England. Winter- visitor arriving first week Oct. 

 (early date Sept. 11) to mid-Nov. returning mid-March to third 

 week April. First noticed Norfolk, March 1830. Was irregular 

 winter-visitor to east and south coasts until 1879, when considerable 

 visitation occurred, and subsequently has increased and is now 

 annual autumn to spring visitor east coast from Yorks. to Kent. 

 Along south coast occasional ; elsewhere very rare. Wales. Very 

 rare vagrant. Scotland. First recorded East Lothian Jan., 1859, 

 subsequently uncommonly, as far north as Fife ; of recent years 

 annualty small numbers autumn and occasionally spring Fair Isle ; 

 a few in autumns 1907, 1909, and 1913, Isle of May ; 1913 Pent- 

 land Skerries and Auskerry (Orkney) ; 1915, spring Hoy High, 

 autumn Swona (Orkney). Unknown in west. Ireland. One 

 Wicklow Head, Nov. 4, 1910 (R. M. Barrington, Brit. B., iv, p. 

 215). 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. North Europe, chiefly north of Arctic 

 Circle, and north Asia. Represented in America by a number of 

 allied forms. (Hartert treats also all the Horned Larks of Asia 

 and north-west Africa as forms of E. alpestris.) 



FAMILY MOTACILLID^. 



Comprises the Pipits and Wagtails. Smaller Oscines (see p. 6), 

 partly (Pipits) very similar to Larks in general appearance, but 

 distinguished by the sides of the tarsus being covered with an 



