THE PIPIT. 129 



in so far with animals and plants ; but these do not 

 let us know any more about them as they exist in nature. 

 If we would know that, we must examine the object, 

 the circumstances, and the succession of phenomena 

 around it, taking care that we admit no conclusion, if 

 it violates a law of nature which has been established 

 upon indubitable evidence. 



The other two species are the rack or sea pipit 

 (anthus aquaticus) which, like the former, is a constant 

 inhabitant of the country. It frequents the bold shores, 

 feeding upon marine insects when the tide ebbs, and 

 building its nest in the cliffs ; as, however, the meadow 

 pipit comes down to the sea shores, when it can find 

 no insect food upon the land, there is some danger of 

 confounding the species at that time. But the sea 

 pipit is considerably larger than the common one, being 

 seven inches long, while the other is very rarely six, 

 and altogether a lighter and more agile bird. The 

 sea pipit, too, is never found inland, and the outer 

 layers of its nest are often formed of seaweed, which is 

 never the case with the common pipit. The species 

 regarding which the confusion has probably taken 

 place, is the tree pipit (anthus arbor ea) which visits 

 Britain only during the summer, and is partial even 

 then, not being met with in Scotland. In their songs, 

 the pipits are quite the reverse of the larks, and they 

 are very unlike them in their flight. Instead of vault- 

 ing at once into the air, and soaring and singing, the 

 pipits hop first to a branch, the top of a bank, or a 

 stone of rock. There they take their flight by a suc- 

 cession of hops, uttering a single note at each exertion 

 of the wings ; their song is reserved for the descent, 



