THE SPECIES. 8l 



Anthus. Plate V. MOTACILLINyE (Passeridse). 



66. praiensis, 5f in. Meadow Pipit. Plumage whitish ; throat and 



chest spotted with blackish brown. 



67. trivialis, 6 in. Tree Pipit. Plumage yellowish ; hind claw 



shorter than toe and much curved. 

 71. obscurus, 6\ in. RocK Pipit. Hind claw same length as toe and 



curved ; tail feathers entirely dark brown. 

 70, spipoletta, 6^ in. Water Pipit. Throat and chest unspotted. 



68. campestris, 7 in. TAWNY PiPiT. Hind claw same length as toe and 



curved ; tail feathers edged with light brown. 



69. richardi, 7^ in. Richard's Pipit. Hind claw not less than an 



inch in length. 



The Meadow Pipit — Dimensions, Da; Eggs, Dm— is one of our residents whose numbers 

 are increased by migration in spring and thinned by departures for the Continent in the 

 autumn. It is quite as well known as the Titlark — indeed all the Pipits are known as 

 Titlarks — and like all the rest of the genus, and all the Larks and Wagtails, it runs when on 

 the ground and does not hop. One of its distinctive marks is its nearly straight hind claw, 

 which is longer than the hind toe. Like all the Pipits it varies very much in size, but its 

 proportions are fairly constant. Its characteristic odour is stronger than that of any other 

 ground bird. Its flight is at times swift and undulating, but generally wavering, as it sings 

 on the wing, fluttering up for a short distance, and then slowly descending with expanded 

 wings and tail. Its note is a feeble warbling " cheep-teep," with a sharper alarm or call of 

 " whit." The female is not so spotted as the male, and in the winter resembles him in 

 being greener above and buffer below. The nest is always on the ground and generally on 

 a bank under a tuft of grass ; it is made of moss, dry grass, and seed stalks, lined with fine 

 grass and hair. The eggs are from four to six in number. 



The Tree Pipit — Dimensions, Dk ; Eggs, Eb — is a summer migrant, arriving early in 

 April and leaving us in October. Like all its namesakes, it has the bill of a wafitail, and the 

 long hind claw of a lark. Its fh^ht is of the same character as that of the Meadow Pipit. 

 It mounts nearly straight up and hovers over a tree, trilling out its canary-like song ; and then, 

 with its legs hanging and its wings almost meeting over its back, it drops in a spiral to the 

 bush from which it rose, and from which, in a few moments, it rises to sing again. Its note 

 is " twee, twee, twee, twee," — longer than the Meadow Pipit's — and it has also a call of 

 '* tick-tick," and another of " tsee-a, tsee-a, tsee-a." The female is not so large as the male, 

 and is not so spotted on the breast. The nest is placed on the ground, generally on a bank, 

 and sometimes in a hole; and it is made of dry grass, rootlets, moss, wool, and horsehair. 

 The eggs, of which there are from four to six in the nest, are more variable than those of 

 any other British bird, except, perhaps, the Cuckoo and the Guillemot. 



The Rock Pipit— Dimensions, Ee ; Eggs, EF~frequents our coasts all the year round, and 

 breeds annually north of the Humber. It has no white in its tail, its axillaries are smoky 

 brown, and its hind claw is very much curved. It is the highest flyer among the Pipits, 

 rising 30 ft. or more in a wavering desultory way, singing as it flutters aloft, and slowly 

 circles to the ground again. Its note is a shrill "cheep.' The female has no rosy tinge on 

 the brea-st. The nest is generally near the sea, under a stone or in a hole ; it is made of 

 grass, seaweed, and moss, and lined, as a rule, with horsehair ; and it contains from four to 

 five eggs. 



The Water Pipit— Dimensions, Ek ; Eggs, Ee— is a very occasional straggler into the 

 south of England. Its flight is " Pipit-like," and the note is reported to be " ting-ting-ting " 

 on the rise, and " si, si, si, si '* on the fall, 



The Tawny Pipit— Dimensions, Ef; Eggs, En— is another rare stragglernever known to 

 breed here. 



Richard's Pipit— Dimensions, Gc ; Eggs, Eh— often straggles over here in the autumn 

 from its home in Turkestan, but it never stays the winter with us. 



Aquila. Plate xv. FALCONID^. 



178. clanga, 26 in. SPOTTED Eagle. Wings brown, spotted with 



greyish white ; tail brown. 



179, chrysa'elus. 36 in. GOLDEN EAGLE. Wings brown, shaded with 



black ; tail mottled. 



The Spotted Eagle— Dimensions, Rq ; Eggs, Qh— is a very rare straggler to these islands, 

 and only about half a dozen specimens are on record, and there is some doubt as to whether 

 these are of larger or smaller species. If they are of the smaller kind it would seem that 

 they should be ncevia and not clanga. 



The Golden Eagle— Dimensions, Te ; Eggs, Rt— is undoubtedly a British bird, although 



