THE PIPITS. 103 



plumage and more Lark-like appearance. The secondary 

 quills are elongated and of about the same length as the 

 primaries, and, in the style of plumage, the Pipits resemble 

 the Larks, but in the formation of the wings and also in the 

 curious " dipping " motion of the tail, they show their close 

 relationship with the Wagtails. 



There are five genera of Pipits ; Anthus^ with thirty-three 

 species ; Xanthocorys, from Brazil, with one species ; Neocorys, 

 from the Upper Missouri and Manitoba in North America, also 

 with one species ; Oreocorys, with a single species confined to 

 the Himalaya Mountains; and Macronyx, with five species, 

 confined to Africa. The birds of the last-named genus are 

 the largest of all Pipits, and are remarkable for the bright 

 yellow or pink colour of the breasts, an anomaly amongst 

 these plain coloured birds. 



The True Pipits, of the genus Anthus, are found over the 

 greater part of both Hemispheres, and are abundant in South 

 America, Africa, and the Indian Region generally, extending to 

 Australia and New Zealand, but not reaching the islands of 

 Oceania. The genus comprises birds of different form and 

 habits, and the shape of the hind claw varies almost as much 

 as in the Larks, some of the species being frequenters of 

 woodland, like our Tree-Pipit, while others are lovers of open 

 country, like our Meadow-Pipit. 



I. THE TREE-PIPIT. ANTHUS TR1VIALIS. 



Alauda trivialis. Linn., S. N., i., p. 288 (1766). 



Anthus trivialis. Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 569 (1874); Dresser, 



B. Eur., iii., p. 309 (1874) ; B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 33 



(1883); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., x., p. 543 (1888); 



Saunders, Man., p. 123 (1889). 

 Anthus arboreus, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 188 (1839) ; Seeb., Br. 



B., ii., p. 219 (1884). 



Adult Male in Summer Plumage. Above clear sandy-brown, 

 streaked with black centres to the feathers ; below sandy-buff, 

 the centre of the breast and abdomen inclining to buffy- 

 white, clearer sandy-buff on the under tail-coverts ; the lower 

 throat and fore-neck broadly streaked with black, more 

 narrowly on the breast, sides of body, and flanks ; under wing- 



