The American Pipit 
The Pipit song in many of its phases is strikingly like that of the 
Rock Wren ( Salpinctes obsoletus). It has the same vivacity and ringing 
quality, though perhaps less power, and the similarity extends to the very 
phrasing. An alarm note runs pichoo pichoo pichoo, given six or seven 
times, rapidly and emphatically; while another, wee iich, wee iich, we iich, 
is rendered, unless my eyes deceive me, with the same springing motion 
which characterizes the Wren. An ecstasy song of courting time (heard 
on Mount Rainier) runs twiss twiss twiss twiss (ad lib.), uttered as rapidly 
as the syllables may be said. It is delivered as the bird describes great 
slow circles in mid-air; and when the singer is exhausted by his efforts, 
he falls like a spent rocket to the ground. 
For all this activity, however, the nests are hard to find. It was not 
until July 17, 1907, that the writer had his first piece of luck. A ven¬ 
turesome climb over the rock-wall which fronts the glacier of the Upper 
Horseshoe Basin (in the Stehekin country) had yielded only a last year’s 
Leucosticte’s nest and left me somewhat blown. As I was nearly down 
the cliff and breathing easier, a Pipit flew unannounced from a spur of 
the cliff upon which I was standing to the one beyond. Evidently she 
had heard the call of her mate, for the instant she lighted upon the cliff 
he was near her. But budge not a foot would he; whether he was sus¬ 
picious or only exacting, one could not quite tell. At any rate he kept 
giving vent to a ringing, metallic note of apprehension. The female 
coaxed with fluttering wings, and moved slowly forward as she did so, 
finally securing the worm from her reluctant lord, when—whisk! she was 
back again and out of sight around the cliff on which I stood. I hastened 
forward to the farthest outstanding point which gave a partial view of 
the wall’s face. No bird was in sight. Then I tossed pebbles against 
Taken in Satita Barbara 
836 
“A GOOD FELLOW AFTER ALL" 
Photo by the Author 
