236 BRITISH BIRDS. 



L'Abbe David also met with Richard's Pipit in Mongolia; a little to 

 the south of where Prjevalsky found itj and describes it as breeding on 

 the ground in the grass near water, and as frequently perching on bushes 

 and tall plants. Early in the breeding-season it may often be seen rising 

 in the air after the manner of other Pipits, and singing a short song, which 

 is said to be extremely commonplace. L'Abbe David describes these birds 

 as quarrelsome, especially during migration. 



When I was in Heligoland we met with several small parties of Richard's 

 Pipits during the last week of September j they were easy to recognize 

 by the loudness of their call-notes. They came with north-east and south- 

 west winds in company with Golden Plover, Little Stints, Bluethroats, 

 Dxmlins, and other birds, and were very wild and difficult to shoot. 



Richard's Pipit is common in the plains of India and Burma in winter. 

 It arrives early in October in flocks which disperse over the country, and 

 remains during the winter in small parties or scattered pairs, which frequent 

 marshy, swampy land, and are specially partial to the rice-fields. Col. 

 Legge, describing its habits in Ceylon, says that it frequents pastures, 

 especially those on which cattle are much fed, and is very fond of dusting 

 itself on the roads. Soon after its arrival, and also shortly before its 

 departure, he found it common in the long grass on the marshes. He 

 describes it as a handsome bird in its carriage, holding itself erect, running 

 swiftly, and frequently mounting on some little eminence, where it stands 

 pluming itself. It is constantly uttering its soft but loud note both on 

 the ground and when flying. Brooks, speaking of this bird in Bengal, 

 writes : — " The usual note of this species is not a loud, harsh, discordant 

 one, as described by some author or other, I forget 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 

 most difiicult to shoot from its excessive 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 uttermost 

 to enable him to keep the best of all look-outs ; and the moment forty 



no scientific rule, unless we admit that the law of compromise comes under that category. 

 The classification adopted is of the same kind, a compromise between what has been called 

 the old rostral system and some of the more modern attempts to place ornithological classi- 

 fication on a scientific basis, none of which have yet passed beyond the stage of provisional 

 or tentative hypotheses, and the recognition of which is, at the least, premature. The 

 etymology of the scientific names is pronounced by competent authorities to be generally 

 very weak, often wrong, and sometimes pedantic. The geographical distribution, both 

 home and foreign, is carelessly written, full of errors, and often very misleading. The 

 whole work is a splendid example of the truth of the old proverb, that " too many cooks 

 spoil the broth." The volume is well worth purchasing as a literary curiosity. 



