216 ANTHUS 



321. ROCK-PIPIT. 

 ANTHUS OBSCURUS. 



Anthus obscurus, (Latli.) Ind. Orn. ii. p. 494 (1790) ; Gould, B. of Gt. 

 Brit. iii. pi. 10; Newton, i. p. 586; Dresser, iii. p. 343, pi. 141 ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. x. p. 599 ; Saunders, p. 143 ; Lilford, iii. 

 p. 126, pis. 63, 64 ; A. rupestris, Nilss. Orn. Suec. i. p. 245, pi. 9 r 

 figs. 1, 2 ; Naum. xiii. p. 108, pi. 371, figs. 1, 2 ; A. aquations, (nee. 

 Bechst.) ; Hewitson, i. p. 174, xliv. fig. 3. 



Pipit obscur, French ; Spioncello marine, Ital. ; Strandpieper r 

 German ; Skjaer-piplcerke, Norweg. ; Skjcerpiber, Dan. ; Skarpip- 

 Idrka, Swed. ; Luoto-kirmnen, Finn. 



g ad. (England). Upper parts olivaceous obscurely streaked with 

 dark brown ; rump brighter olivaceous very slightly streaked ; wings and 

 tail brown, the former margined with olivaceous, the outer tail-feathers 

 with a broad oblique smoke-grey terminal band ; an indistinct superciliuni 

 yellowish buff ; under parts yellowish buff obscurely streaked with dark 

 brown or olive-brown ; bill dark brown, tinged with dull orange at the 

 base of lower mandible ; legs reddish brown ; iris brown. Culinen 0'78, 

 wing 3*5, tail 2'65, tarsus 0'95, hind toe with claw 0'75 inch. Sexes alike. 

 In the winter the plumage is paler, the under -parts much paler and less 

 streaked, the centre of the throat almost unmarked. The young bird is 

 darker, more clearly streaked above and more boldly marked below. 



Hab. Northern Europe from the coasts of France east to the 

 White Sea, north to northern Scandinavia, south into Spain, 

 and has occurred in Morocco in the winter ; resident in Great 

 Britain. 



Essentially a shore bird it frequents the barren rocky parts- 

 of the coast, never straying far inland. It feeds on marine 

 insects and their larvaB, small molluscs, and seeds. Its song is 

 tolerably pleasing, but short, and is uttered whilst the bird is 

 on the wing. It breeds in April or May, and places its nest on 

 the ground under a stone or ledge in a cliff, or amongst moss, 

 constructing it of grass-bents, and sometimes seaweeds, lining 

 it with finer bents or a little horsehair. The eggs, 4 or 5 in 

 number, are grey with an olivaceous tinge in ground colour, 

 closely marked with dark reddish brown or olivaceous brown, in 

 size averaging about - 82 b} r 0'65. 



On the Norwegian and Swedish coasts a variety or form of 



