EICIIAED'S PIPIT. 181 



In Ireland and Scotland it has not occurred up to the 

 present time. 



Richard's Pipit appears to be partial to dry rocky situations. 

 It seldom alights in trees, being addicted to the ground, 

 where it finds its sustenance. 



Its food consists of insects of various kinds. 



The note is said to be very loud, and to be uttered fre- 

 quently by the bird when on the wing. 



The eggs are described as being of a reddish white ground 

 colour, speckled with darker red and light brown. 



This bird seems to vary much in size, different individuals 

 measuring respectively, six inches and three quarters, seven 

 inches and a quarter, seven and more than a half, and eight 

 inches in length. The upper bill is dark brown, the lower 

 one paler in colour, with a tinge of purple: two dark lines 

 proceed from its base; one of them, which is made up of 

 small spots, losing itself in the spots of the breast; the other 

 ends near the ear coverts. Iris, very dark brown, nearly 

 black a light streak passes over it ; head on the sides, reddish 

 brown; on the crown, neck behind, and nape, brown in the 

 middle of the feather, with a tinge of green, the edges being 

 lighter yellowish brown ; chin, dull white. Throat and breast, 

 dull white, tinged on the upper part and the sides, and also 

 the sides of the neck with yellowish brown, and the latter 

 inclining to rufous in some specimens, and spotted with dark 

 brown. Back, as the nape. 



The win^s, which are rather short, have the first four 

 feathers very nearly equal in length, the first being slightly 

 the longest, and the others gradually diminishing from it; the 

 fifth is a quarter of an inch shorter than the fourth. Greater 

 and lesser wing coverts, dark brown, buff white on the edge 

 of the feathers; primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, dark 

 brown, bordered with rust-colour. The tail has the outer 

 feather on each side dull white, with an elongated patch of 

 brown at the base of the inner web; the next feather on each 

 side is also dull white on part of the web, but less extensively; 

 the three next feathers are very dark brown; the two middle 

 ones shorter than the rest, their colour a lighter brown, and 

 their edges also paler; upper tail coverts, as the nape; under 

 tail covert*, as the breast. Legs, toes, and claws, light brown, 

 with a tinge of yellowish pink; the hind claw is very long, 

 and not much curved. 



The female has less of the rufous tinge than the male. 



