232 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the surface-colour is evenly clouded over the entire surface, vi^ith here and 

 there a few spots of darker colour. Sometimes the markings take the 

 form of streaky lines and spots. Occasionally one egg in a clutch is 

 much paler than the rest. The eggs vary from 'SS to 'eS inch in length, 

 and from '63 to '55 inch in breadth. 



The food of this bird consists principally of insects, small worms, 

 and larvse, and is not known to differ from that of the Meadow-Pipit. 

 In winter the Red-throated Pipit becomes gregarious. Writing of this 

 species in Tenasserim, in winter, Mr. Davison remarks {' Stray Feathers,' 

 vi. p. 367) : — " I have only found this species in flocks. As a rule 

 they keep to the rice-fields, or other planted fields where there is cover. 

 When disturbed they rise quickly one after the other with a very sharp 

 clear note, which they continue to utter as they fly. . They generally 

 fly a couple of hundred yards or so and drop again, one after the other, 

 and commence to creep about among the stalks, one occasionally showing 

 itself for an instant on the top of a dyke or clod of earth, but diving 

 rapidly again into cover. Occasionally I have seen them on the banks 

 of rivers along the water's edge. I have always found them veiy shy; and 

 after they have been fired at a few times, they fly right away out of sight." 



The adult male Red-throated Pipit in breeding-plumage diff'ers from the 

 Meadow-Pipit by having the general colour of the upper parts much more 

 rufous (sandy instead of olive), and the whole of the upper parts have 

 dark centres to the feathers. The white on the two outside tail-feathers is 

 the same in both species ; but the throat and breast are pale bufiish chest- 

 nut, the remainder of the underparts being pale huffish brown, palest on the 

 under tail-coverts, the longest of which have dark centres. The streaks on 

 the underparts are not so numerous as in the Meadow-Pipit, and are chiefly 

 confined to the flanks. Bill brown above, pale below ; legs light brown ; 

 eet and claws darker brown ; irides hazel. The female and male of the yearf 

 in breeding-plumage very closely resemble the male on the upper parts ; but 

 on the underparts the pale huffish chestnut is conflned to the throat, and the 

 remainder of the underparts are pale huffish brown, boldly streaked on the 

 flanks and breast with brownish black. After the autumn moult the 

 upper parts are a slightly richer brown, and the chestnut on the throat 

 and breast is absent, the underparts being yellowish buff, streaked on 

 the breast and flanks with dark brown. Birds of the year are suffused 

 both on the upper and under parts with chestnut-bufi^, and are more 

 profusely streaked on the breast and flanks. The points of distinction 

 between the present species and the Meadow-Pipit in these latter plumages 

 have already been pointed out in the article on the preceding species. 



