116 PASSERES. 



United States Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 289) . Eggs in the Pryer col- 

 lection are pinky grey, with light and dark sepia streaks, spots, and 

 blotches, and exactly resemble a common variety of the eggs of the 

 western species. 



88. ANTHUS SPINOLETTA. 

 (ALPINE PIPTT.) 



Anthus spinoletta, Liuneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 288 (1766). 



The Japanese race of the Alpine Pipit has brown upper parts, 

 suflfused with grey in summer plumage. The dark centres to the 

 feathers are very obscure, almost obsolete on the crown. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 24 

 (under the name oi AntJius pratensis japonicus) . 



The Japanese Alpine Pipit breeds on the Kurile Islands, whence 

 I have three examples collected on Urup by Wossnesenski (See- 

 bohm. Ibis, 1879, p. 34) and three collected by Mr. Snow. Dr. 

 Henderson obtained it at Hakodadi in October 1857 (Cassin, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1858, p. 193) ; and I have six examples col- 

 lected by Captain Blakiston in Yezzo in September, October, and 

 November (Swinhoe, Ibis, 1875, p. 449). It is common in winter 

 in Southern Japan, and there are no fewer than twelve examples in 

 the Pryer collection from Yokohama. Its breeding-range extends to 

 Eastern Siberia, and there are examples in the Swinhoe collection 

 from South China, where it is only known as a winter visitor. 



There seem to be four races of Alpine Pipit. The typical, or 

 Western Palsearctic, form differs from the other three in being on an 

 average slightly larger ; the Eastern Palsearctic form, Anthus spino- 

 letta blakistoni, only differs from the typical form in size ; but the 

 Japanese form^ Anthus spinoletta japonicus, differs from most ex- 

 amples of the other three forms in having pale legs and feet; and 

 the Nearctic form, Anthus spinoletta pennsylvanicm, generally (though 

 not always) differs from the other three forms in having the outer 

 web of the penultimate tail-feather on each side white for some 

 distance from the tip. 



In Captain Blakiston's collection there is a remarkably handsome 

 specimen of the fully adult Japanese Alpine Pipit in summer 

 plumage, which scarcely differs from that of the American Alpine 

 Pipit (Swainson and Richardson, Faun. Bor-Amer. ii. pi. 44). 



