AN THUS 219 



324. RICHARD'S PIPIT. 

 ANTHUS RICHARDI. 



Anthrx ricliardi, Vieill. iSToiiv. Diet. xxvi. p. 491 (1818) ; Naum. xiii. 

 p. 94, Taf. 371, figs. 3, 4 ; Hewitson, i. p. 175, pi. xliv. fig. 4 ; 

 Gould, B. of E. iii. pi. 35 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iii. pi. 8 ; Newton, i. 

 p. 598 ; Dresser, iii. p. 325, pi. 138 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. x. 

 p. 564 ; Gates, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, ii. p. 307 ; Saunders, p. 139 ; 

 Lilford, iii. p. 130, pi. 66. 



Pipit-richard, French ; Churrica, Span. ; Calandro forestiero, 

 Ital. ; Spornpieper, German ; Cfroote-pieper, Dutch. 



< ad. (Belgium). Upper parts blackish brown the feathers broadly 

 margined with reddish brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts more uniform 

 brown and duller ; wings and tail blackish brown, the quills margined 

 with pale buff and rufous, the coverts tipped with white and rufous ; 

 outer tail-feather nearly pure white, the next with the terminal part white, 

 the middle feathers with rufous margins ; supercilium whitish ; under 

 parts white, the throat, breast, and flanks washed with rufous buff, a line 

 from the base of the bill and a band across the breast composed of blackish 

 spots ; bill and iris dark brown ; legs light brown. Culmen 0*75, wing 

 3 '7, tail 3*25, tarsus 1% hind toe with claw 1*25, hind claw 0'78 inch. 

 Sexes alike. The young bird has the upper parts duller and paler, the 

 under parts more profusely spotted, and all the wing-coverts and inner 

 secondaries broadly margined with white. 



Hob. Central, northern, and eastern Asia, occurring on pas- 

 sage in central, southern, and western Europe, rare in Scandinavia 

 and Great Britain, wintering in India, Burma, China, and the 

 Moluccas. 



Frequents open bush-covered localities, both in the hills and 

 on the plains, but is sometimes seen in the woods. It appears 

 to prefer the vicinity of water, and occurs also in marshy places. 

 It is generally seen on the ground, but also perches on bushes 

 .and plants. Its call-note is described as being a prolonged tsi, 

 and its song, which is uttered whilst the bird is floating in the 

 air like a Skylark, is feeble, short, and devoid of originality. 

 It feeds on insects which it obtains on the ground. It 

 breeds in Siberia from the Yenesei to Dauria and in central 

 Asia, early in June, its nest being placed on the ground, like 

 those of its congeners, and deposits 5 to 6 eggs yellowish 

 white, pale yellowish olivaceous or rosy white, closely marked 

 all over the surface of the egg with brown or brownish olivaceous, 

 in size averaging about 0*89 by 0*65. 



