MOTACILLIDE. 133 
THE MEADOW-PIPIT. 
ANTHUS PRATENSIS (Linnzeus). 
The Meadow-Pipit—generally known as the Titlark, and locally 
by the names of Titling, Moss-cheeper, Ling-bird &c.—is the 
smallest and most abundant member of the genus throughout the 
British Islands. During summer it is nearly as much at home on 
elevated moors as on lowland pastures; but in winter the bleaker 
situations are deserted for more sheltered localities, especially those 
in the vicinity of the sea-coast. In autumn considerable numbers 
leave our shores altogether, and a return migration takes place in 
spring. 
In the Feroes and Iceland the Meadow-Pipit is common in 
summer, while in South Greenland a solitary wanderer was obtained 
in 1845. The breeding-range extends over the greater part of Europe, 
from the North Cape to the Pyrenees, the northern portions of 
Italy and the Carpathians, and perhaps to some of the elevated 
regions still further south ; but in the basin of the Mediterranean 
the bird is principally known as a visitor on passage or in winter. 
Eastward, it is found in Asia Minor, Palestine, Western Turkestan, 
and the valley of the Ob in Siberia; while its southern wanderings 
reach North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt. In the Canary 
Islands and Madeira there is a resident insular form known as 
A. bertheloti, smaller in size, with paler and less marked upper parts, 
narrowly striated under parts, and no green tint in its plumage. 
Our resident Meadow-Pipits begin to breed early in the spring, 
