BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 303 



FAMILY MOTACILLID-ffi. WAGTAILS. 



GENUS ANTHUS BECHSTEIN. 

 Anthus pensilvanicus (LATH.). 



American Pipit ; Brown Lark ; Titlark. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Bill slender and acute, slightly notched at end ; few short bristles about gape ; 

 nostrils naked ; hind claw very long, slender, curved and sharp pointed ; wings 

 long and pointed, the point being formed by first four primaries; some tertial 

 feathers are only a little shorter than longest primaries ; base of lower mandible 

 (dried skins) pale brownish yellow; rest of bill, also legs and feet dark brown; 

 eyes brown, above grayish brown with a more or less tinge of olive-green ; some 

 feathers of back and pileum have dusky centers ; central pair of tail-feathers shorter 

 than the other rectrices, and quite similar but somewhat darker than back ; outer 

 pair of tail-feathers mostly white, and next pair of lateral tail-feathers have white 

 spot at end ; rest of tail blackish ; ring round eye. and a streak" about it, pale yellow- 

 ish-white ; chin and throat whitish ; under tail-coverts, middle of abdomen and 

 lower part of breast brownish-yellow; jugulum, sides of breast and body pale 

 brownish-yellow streaked .with dusky. Length about 6| ; extent about 11 inches. 



Habitat. North America at large, breeding in the higher parts of the Rocky 

 mountains and subarctic districts, and wintering in the Gulf States, Mexico and 

 Central America. 



The Titlark is a common spring- and fall migrant, arriving here usu- 

 ally about the first week in October, and remaining- generally until about 

 the middle of November ; occasionally small parties of these, shy queru- 

 lous-voiced birds are seen as winter residents in our southern counties. 

 When migrating northward this species again makes its appearance 

 about the middle of April, and oftentimes a few scattered individuals 

 are found about plowed grounds or along pools and other wet places in 

 fields, meadows, etc., as late as the middle of May. Titlarks', during- 

 their stay with us, are usually seen in flocks of from ten to twenty or 

 forty each, but at times larger flocks (one hundred or two hundred each) 

 may be observed. These birds sometimes alight on fences or on the 

 dead limbs of trees, but usually they are seen, when not flying-, on the 

 ground, as Mr. Eidgway writes * they move " with a graceful gliding- walk, 

 tilting the body and wagging- the tail at each step, much in the manner 

 of a Seiurus. It is very restless, the flocks seldom remaining long- at one 

 place, but soon taking wing, they flit to another spot, or in graceful 

 sweeps pass and repass over a particular place before alig-hting." In 

 this region I have noticed tha-t the Titlarks are nearly always to be found 

 frequenting plowed fields, where they collect insects, and their larvae as 

 well as small seeds on which they feed. 



* Ornithology of Illinois, p. 111. 



