80 BROWN BIRDS WITH SPOTTED BREASTS. 



The note is a metallic ' Seeng ! seeng ! seeng ! ' clear 

 and incisive in the attack, but becoming more and 

 more hurried and subdued as the song proceeds. 

 When about to descend, the bird expands and erects 

 its wings and tail, and, with these held rigidly fixed, 

 sails down a long, shallow curve with a slow, gliding 

 motion, singing as it descends. In spring and autumn 

 the Meadow-Pipits band loosely together, scattering 

 and gathering again with strange inconstancy. 



TREE-PIPIT 6 inches ; a habitual tree-percher, singing 

 on its perch or rising thence for a song-flight similar to 

 that of the Meadow-Pipit. The crown is flatter and 

 the plumage brighter. 



ROCK-PIPIT 6 inches ; exclusively a bird of the coast. 

 Outer tail-feathers dusky-brown. 



SKYLARK 7 inches ; conspicuous crest ; flight hovering 

 rather than jerky. Alarm-note, musical ' Pr-r-r-r-r-r ! ' 

 Does not wag its tail ; mounts incomparably higher. 



WOODLARK 6 inches ; no white outer tail-feathers ; con- 

 spicuous white eyebrow ; flight as preceding bird ; does 

 not wag its tail ; is a tree-percher, and sings both perch- 

 ing and soaring. 



TREE-PIPIT. Form, like Meadow-Pipit (plate 34). 

 Length, 6 inches. Upper parts pale brown, with dark 

 centres to the feathers ; double whitish wing-bar ; 

 wing and tail feathers dark brown, the outer tail- 

 feathers white ; under parts buffy-white, spotted with 

 deep brown. Summer migrant. 



Eggs. 4-6, variable, usually grayish or buffish 

 white, mottled all over with reddish-brown ; some- 

 times resembling the eggs of the Corn-Bunting, being 

 purply-buff in the ground, clouded, streaked, and 



