ON MOORS, COMMONS, AND HEATHS. 149 



Our second moorland Passe re is the MEADOW widely 

 PIPIT (Anthus pratensis), although " Moor" Pipit 

 is by far the better term. In its annual move- 

 ments the Meadow Pipit is very similar to the 

 Twite. It is only in summer that the moorlands 

 are frequented by this bird ; at the approach of 

 winter it seeks more sheltered districts, and at 

 that season is a well-known species upon the fields 

 and manure-heaps. On the moors the Meadow 

 Pipit is easily recognised by its olive-green upper 

 parts, nearly white underparts, streaked with 

 brown on the neck, breast, and flanks, and by its 

 plaintive cry ot peep-peep. It is most abundant in 

 the wettest parts of the moors, and in some 

 swampy localities may be flushed almost every 

 few yards. The Meadow Pipit is a most in- 

 dustrious singer, rising ever and anon into the air, 

 and uttering a short and feeble but sweet little 

 song as he descends. Soon after arriving on 

 these upland wastes the Meadow Pipit begins to 

 breed. Its simple little nest is built on the 

 ground, often on a bank, sometimes under a flat 

 stone, and occasionally in a tuft of rushes or 

 coarse grass absolutely surrounded by water. It 

 is made of the moss growing so plentifully around, 

 coarse dry grass, and lined with finer grass, a few 

 hairs and fibrous roots. The four or five eggs 

 are white in ground colour though as a rule little 

 of this is ever visible clouded and spotted all 

 over with brown, and sometimes streaked with 

 very dark brown on the larger end. Little varia- 

 tion is to be observed in the eggs of this bird. 

 After the young are reared the Meadow Pipit 

 becomes gregarious, especially so during the 



