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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  THE 
  TAWNY 
  PIPIT 
  (ANTIIUS 
  CAMPESTRIS) 
  AS 
  

   A 
  VISITOR 
  TO 
  ENGLAND. 
  

  

  By 
  Michael 
  J. 
  Nicoll, 
  M.B.O.U. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  forty-six 
  years 
  since 
  the 
  Tawny 
  Pipit 
  was 
  first 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  occasional 
  visitor 
  to 
  England 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  

   Mr. 
  G. 
  Dawson 
  Piowley. 
  The 
  first 
  example 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  Shore- 
  

   ham 
  Harbour, 
  in 
  Sussex, 
  on 
  Aug. 
  15th, 
  1858 
  ; 
  since 
  which 
  date, 
  

   up 
  to 
  1890, 
  twenty-two 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  from 
  England, 
  out 
  of 
  

   which 
  number 
  nineteen 
  were 
  shot 
  or 
  caught 
  in 
  Sussex 
  — 
  and 
  all 
  

   within 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Brighton 
  — 
  in 
  August, 
  September, 
  

   and 
  October, 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  November. 
  Now, 
  on 
  first 
  thoughts, 
  it 
  

   would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  curious 
  that 
  all 
  these 
  were 
  obtained 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  

   Brighton, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  reasons 
  for 
  this, 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  

   taken 
  into 
  consideration. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  Sussex 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  

   likely 
  county 
  for 
  this 
  bird 
  to 
  visit 
  on 
  its 
  migration 
  southwards 
  

   in 
  autumn, 
  as 
  it 
  breeds 
  just 
  across 
  the 
  Channel 
  — 
  in 
  Northern 
  

   France, 
  for 
  instance 
  — 
  and 
  nothing 
  is 
  more 
  probable 
  than 
  that 
  a 
  

   few 
  individuals 
  should 
  become 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  body, 
  

   and, 
  crossing 
  the 
  English 
  Channel 
  with 
  other 
  birds 
  —Meadow- 
  

   Pipits, 
  for 
  instance 
  — 
  should 
  alight 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Sussex. 
  

  

  Every 
  autumn 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  Meadow-Pipits 
  (A 
  nth 
  us 
  pra- 
  

   tensis) 
  coming 
  in 
  over 
  the 
  sea 
  from 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  settling 
  on 
  

   the 
  marshes 
  and 
  shore; 
  also 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  stated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Eagle 
  

   Clarke 
  (' 
  Ibis,' 
  January, 
  1901, 
  p. 
  136) 
  that 
  the 
  immigrant 
  

   Meadow-Pipits 
  pass 
  the 
  Kentish 
  Knock 
  lightship 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  

   and 
  south-east 
  in 
  October. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  Tawny 
  

   Pipits 
  come 
  across 
  with 
  the 
  former 
  species 
  of 
  Pipit, 
  and 
  my 
  own 
  

   observations, 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  mention 
  later, 
  tend 
  to 
  confirm 
  this 
  

   idea. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  and 
  strongest 
  reason 
  why 
  Antlius 
  caiwpestris 
  

   should 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  near 
  Brighton 
  between 
  the 
  years 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  i. 
  e. 
  1858-87 
  (in 
  the 
  latter 
  year 
  the 
  last 
  specimen 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  Sussex 
  prior 
  to 
  1903 
  was 
  taken) 
  is 
  that 
  during 
  that 
  time 
  

  

  