212 ANTHUS 



Pipit des arlres y French ; Sombria, Portug. ; dnceta, Span. ; 

 Prispolona, Ital. ; Baumpieper, German ; JBoompieper, Dutch ; 

 Trcepiber, Dan. ; Trcepiplcerke, Norweg. ; Tradpiplcirka, Swed. ; 

 Metsci-kirvinen, Finn. ; Lasnoi-konek, Russ. 



ad. (England). Differs from A. pratensis in having the hind claw 

 much shorter and more curved, and in having the under parts more buff in 

 tinge, besides being larger and having paler legs ; bill dark brown paler 

 below ; legs pale flesh colour ; iris dark brown. Culmen 0'6, wing 3'42, 

 tail 27, tarsus 0'9, hind toe with claw 0'68, hind claw 0'3 inch. 



Hob. Northern and central Europe; northern Asia as far 

 east as Krasnoyarsk, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, and 

 western Asia. 



Inhabits it differs from A. pratensis in frequenting woods, 

 groves, and gardens in preference to open grassy localities, and 

 is never seen far from trees and bushes, and perches freely on 

 trees. Its call-note is loud and clear, though somewhat harsh, 

 and its song is loud, rich, and full, somewhat resembling that of 

 the Canary-bird. It is uttered when the bird is perched 

 on a tree, or is circling on the wing, and never from on 

 the ground. Its food consists chiefly, indeed almost solely, of 

 insects and their larvae. Its nest is placed on the ground, 

 usually in a wood or the border of a copse, well concealed 

 amongst the grass, and is constructed of dried grass and moss, 

 lined with finer grasses, and the eggs, from 4 to 5 or even 6 in 

 number, vary considerably both in colour and markings, some 

 being so closely marked with dark red spots on a greyish ground, 

 as to appear almost uniform dark red, others are, on a purplish 

 white ground, either marked with dark hair-brown, or blotched 

 with a few large purplish brown patches, and others again are 

 marbled and spotted with rich red on a reddish white ground. 

 In size they average about 0'80 by 0*65. Two broods are 

 usually raised in the season, the first eggs being deposited 

 in May. 



316. SUBSP. ANTHUS MACULATUS. 



AntJius maculatus Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 83 (1844) ; Sharpe, 

 Cut. B. Br. Mus. x. p. 547 ; Gates, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, ii. p. 304 ; 

 A. acjllis (nee. Sykes), Jerdon, B. of Ind. ii. p. 229 ; Gould, B. of 

 Asia, iv. pi. 65. 



< ad. (India). Differs from A. trivialis in being smaller, in having the 

 upper parts strongly tinged with green, the streaks *ind middle of the 

 feathers narrower and less denned ; supercilium pale fulvous anteriorly 

 and white posteriorly. Culmen 0'55, wing 3*3, tail 2'55, tarsus 0'85 

 inch. 



