186 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS 



BREEDING-HABITS. Nests at high elevations, under tussocks, or 

 in crevice of rocks, sometimes under shelter of bush or in depression 

 of ground. Nest. Built of grasses and alpine plants, lined with 

 finer bents, sometimes few horsehairs or feathers. Eggs. 4 to 6, 

 ground greyish-white, closely mottled with brown and ashy-grey. 

 Some eggs have a dark cap or zone, others a blackish hair-streak. 

 Average of 100 eggs, 21.3 x 15.5 mm. Breeding-season. Begins 

 end April, but most eggs are laid in May. Possibly two broods, as 

 fresh eggs have been found in July. Incubation. Period not 

 exactly known ; apparently performed by hen. 



FOOD. Chiefly insects during breeding-season (coleoptera, neurop- 

 tera, diptera, and their larvae), also spiders and plant lice. During 

 autumn and winter small mollusca, vegetable matter (confervas) 

 and seeds are also taken. 



DISTRIBUTION. England and Wales. Possibly regular migrant to 

 Sussex coast and a vagrant elsewhere. There has been some 

 confusion between the Water-Pipit and Scandinavian Bock- Pipit, 

 but Mr. M. J. Nicoll has shown (Zool, 1906, p. 467) that it is fairly 

 regular on passage in Sussex. The following appear satisfactory : 

 Sussex, four, spring and autumn prior to 1900, one Feb., 1900, one 

 Oct., 1902, four Oct., eight Nov., and one Dec., 1904, four Feb., 

 one April, and one Oct., 1905, some spring, 1906, one Sept., 1910. 

 Single birds, Isle of Wight, Sept., 1865 ; Lines., April, 1895 ; 

 Carnarvon, April and Dec., 1897, Feb., 1898 ; Scilly Islands, May, 

 1903 ; Oxon, Mar., 1903 ; Devon, Aug., 1904 ; Norfolk, Jan., 1905 ; 

 Kent, Jan., 1905 (cf. Brit. B., i, pp. 113-114, n, p. 276, m, pp. 120, 

 299). Ireland. One Rockabill (Dublin), June, 1861. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Mountains of central and south Europe 

 generally, south to Spain and Corsica, east to Asia Minor. Partly 

 migrant, or vagrant, visiting plains of north Germany and else- 

 where, and common in winter in south Europe, also casual in north- 

 west Africa. 



74. Anthus spinoletta rubescens (Tunst.) THE AMERICAN 

 WATER-PIPIT. 



ALAUDA RUBESCENS Tunstall, Orn. Brit., p. 2 (1771 Ex Pennant, Brit. 

 Zool., Birds, 11, p. 239, who took his descr. from Edwards, Gleanings, 

 pi. 297, where a bird from Pennsylvania is figured ; Edwards said he 

 also found this bird near London.) 



Anthus ludovicianus Yarrell, i, p. 589 (in text) ; A. pennsylvanicu* 

 ludovicianus, Saunders, p. 142 (in text). 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male and female. Winter. Upper-parts 

 much as A. s. petrosus (see p. 188), but rather browner, not so 

 olivaceous (intermediate in colour between warm brown of 

 A. s. spinoletta and olive-brown of A. s. petrosus} ; under-parts 



