Notes on some of the Indian Pipits. 359 



Tlie usual note of this species is not a loud^ harsh, discordant 

 one, as described by some author or other, I forg-et whom now, 

 but is a soft double chirp, reminding: one strongly of the note of 

 a bunting. The flight is very undulating and strong. Of all 

 small birds this one is the rdost difficult to shoot, from its exces- 

 sive shyness ; and unless the ground permits of a successful 

 stalk, an approach within shot of a small bird gun, such as I use, 

 is almost impossible. There the large wary pipit stands, with 

 his head as high as possible, and his neck stretched to the utter- 

 most to enable him to keep the best of all look-outs, and the 

 moment forty yards is passed, that moment he flies, accompa- 

 nied by any others within hearing of his note of alarm. How- 

 ever, by dint of extra heavy charges, and by creeping along 

 uiider the edge bunds of the paddy fields, I managed to secure a 

 few of this very fine pipit. The places frequented were low 

 grounds occurring below jheels or talaos, the water constantly 

 percolating- through the reservoir bank kept the low grounds 

 adjacent rather damp and in many places quite wet. Over a 

 greater part of this low ground, the rice crop having been 

 gathered, there now grew a small vetch with blue flower, entire- 

 ly covering what had been the paddy field a couple of months 

 before ; and in these vetch fields, the large pipit of which I am 

 speaking, delighted. Before retiring among the vetches to feed, 

 they sat for some time as a rule, upon the little bunds which 

 divided the fields, and when they did this, 1 found the best plan 

 was to wait till the look-out was over and the birds had retired 

 among the crops to feed. It was then possible to creep up 

 within shot. Tn the same vetch fields, and also in the higher 

 paddy fields all aroitnd were numbers of Corydalla striolata, and 

 a few Corydalla rufula. Both these latter species are much more 

 numerous all over this part of Bengal than C. Bichardi. It is 

 C. itriolata which rises with the loud discordant note ; and by 

 the note alone it is easy to distinguish this species, so utterly 

 unlike is it to that of any other pipit. C. Richardi and C. 

 striolata are two pipits of wonderfully the same coloration, and 

 of almost the same linear dimensions. After all, it is only by 

 the long stout tarsus, and large foot with long straight hind 

 claw, that the bird can be readily distinguished from its close 

 ally, save, as I have before remarked, by the utterly different 

 kind of note. In the shape of the foot and proportionate length 

 of tarsus and hind claw, to the size of the bird, C. rufula 

 strongly resembles C. Richardi. As Blyth justly remarks, one 

 bird is an exact miniature of the other. But C. striolata has a 

 shorter tarsus in proportion, more slender, and the foot is of 

 much less proportionate spread : the hind claw too is shorter. 



