194 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



run upon the earth, their tails spring up and down in the same manner; but in 

 their food they more nearl}^ approach the Larks inasmuch as they not only eat 

 insects and their larvse, spiders, centipedes, and small worms, but also a good deal 

 of seed, more especiall}^ of cereals : in aviaries they often husk and swallow their 

 share of canary-seed. Whether the Tree- Pipit is as combative' in confinement as 

 his relative the Titlark I do not know, because I have had no personal experience 

 of the present species as an aviary pet ; but, from what I know of the Meadow 

 Pipit, I should recommend that only one example be admitted into a mixed aviary, 

 otherwise I suspect that there would be war to the death. 



Lord Lilford, speaking of this bird in Northamptonshire, says : — " It arrives 

 with us generally in the second or third week of April, and the male bird soon 

 makes his presence known bj^ his loud song, which has some resemblance to both 

 that of the Canary and the Skylark; he also attracts attention by his comraon 

 habit of soaring from a tree to a moderate height, and descending slowly, singing 

 his best, with tail outspread and legs hanging, to the perch from which he started, 

 or another close by it, ^\ithout coming to the ground : this habit has, in some 

 places, gained him the name of "Woodlark"; but I need hardl}' say that the true 

 Wood-lark fAlauda arborea) is a very distinct bird, which differs from the present 

 species in man}' essential particulars, and whose song is in every way far superior 

 to that of the Tree-Pipit." 



This note of Lord Lilford's is of considerable interest, as I am satisfied that, 

 in many parts of England, the Tree- Pipit is confounded with the Woodlark ; though 

 more particularly b}' people born and bred in the country ; the most difl&cult of all 

 to convince of their errors. 



Gatke says that the Tree-Pipit is one of the few birds which have attempted 

 to breed in Heligoland; "unfortunately the attempt was unsuccessful, for the nest 

 with four eggs of the type with brown spots like burnt marks, was destroyed by 

 cats ; it had been placed against a large tuft of grass in the middle of a large 

 hedged-in grass-plot, about a hundred paces in diameter, which adjoins -my garden, 

 and was protected against every possible disturbance by human hand." 



