44 BIRDS OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 



season *. The Meadow-Pipit is the first of our little 

 spring visitors whose cheery note we welcome in our 

 bleak marshes, where they arrive early in March, 

 usually preceding the less-hardy Pied Wagtail by a 

 full fortnight. 



Nests to far up within the arctic circle. 



74. ANTHUS OBSCURUS (Latham). Rock-Pipit. 



Rarely met with on the flat Lincolnshire coast, and 

 then only in the autumn. Numerous on the York- 

 shire coast in the vicinity of Flamborough Head ; and 

 I have also seen it at Spurn, where it breeds. Oc- 

 casionally occurs during the autumn within the H um- 

 ber, either on the sea embankments or along the 

 borders of the marsh drains. 



75. ANTHUS RUPESTRIS (Nilsson). 



This, the common Rock-Pipit of Scandinavia, is 

 closely allied to the preceding, from which it may be 

 distinguished by its rich buff-coloured breast, as well 

 as the size and distribution of the pectoral spots. 

 It is not improbable that it sometimes occurs on our 

 eastern coast in the autumn, and, from its close re- 

 semblance to A. obscurus, may have hitherto been 

 overlooked. With reference to this bird, Professor 

 Newton informs me that in October 1869, when he 



* Both the old and young birds congregate early in September 

 in flocks of from 20 to 50 previously to leaving the district, which 

 they do about the end of the month. 



