138 OUR SUMMER MIGRANTS. 



and arboreus ought to be united as one species 

 under the latter, or possibly some older, name, 

 I can now scarcely doubt." 



I 



THE WATER PIPIT. 



{Ant/ms spinoletta.) 



N size this bird equals our well-known Rock 

 Pipit, but may be distinguished by the 

 vinous colour of the throat and breast, by the 

 absence of spots or streaks upon the under 

 parts, and by the outer tail feathers, which are 

 marked with white, as in A. pratensis. It was 

 named spinoletta from the provincial name ap- 

 plied to the bird in Italy, whence Linnaeus 

 described it.' Pallas, however, altered the name 

 to " pispoletta," because Cetti affirmed that this 

 was the correct Florentine term, and not spino- 

 letta. Linnaeus's name, nevertheless, on the 

 ground of priority, is entitled to precedence. 

 The species was identified with aquaticus of 

 Bechstein by Bonaparte.'^ 



1 "Syst. Nat.," i. p. 288. = "Consp. Av." i. p. 247. 



