1920.] Birds of the Canary Islands. 325 



Family ]MoTAciLLiDiE. 



Anthus campestris. Tawny Pipit. 

 . Alauda campestris Linn. Syst. Nat. lOtli ed. 1758, p. 166 

 — Typ6 locality : Sweden. 



Tlie records of the Tawny Pipit occurring in the Canary 

 Islands are meagre and rest on the evidence of Meade- 

 AValdo, who wrote (Ibis, 1893, p. 191) : "I liave seen this 

 Pipit only in Fuerteventura, Avliere it was common in 

 sp ing." 



Meade-Waldo was in Fuerteventura in Marcli and A{)ril 

 1888, and in the middle of February and March 1889, and 

 again in April 1890. In replj' to my query as to whether 

 he obtained any specimens, Mr. Meade-Waldo has kindly 

 written to me under date 4 August, 1918: "With regard 

 to Anthus campestins, I saw many in small flocks, especially 

 tlie last time I visited Fuerteventura (April 1890). / shot 

 one or two and gaA'^e them to Canon Tristram, but he did 

 not skin them as he did not pay much attention to migrants 

 when we had island forms to skin.'' 



Bolle's notes (J. f. O. 1857, pp. 288, 289) given under 

 the name of Anthus campestris, as also those under Anthus 

 trivialis (J. f. O. 1854, p. 455), obviously refer to the 

 common Pipit of the islands, Anthus b. bertheloti. There is 

 no question of Meade-Waldo having fallen into this error ; 

 he knew both forms well and collected many of the latter, 

 but until specimens are secured I hesitate to include the 

 Tawny Pipit amongst the authenticated visitors. 



Polatzek writes (Orn. Jalirb. 1909, p. 126) that neither he 

 nor Von Thanner has ever seen it. 



Range. The Tawny Pipit breeds in Europe, south-western 

 Asia, and north-west Africa ; it winters in tropical Africa. 

 Dr. Hartert records it as far south as Senegambia. I have 

 examiued specimens in the British Museum from the fol- 

 lowing localities in Africa : — Morocco (no date), Tangiers 

 (March and June), Egypt (February to April), Sudan 

 (January), White Nile (April), Nubia (no date), Somaliland 



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