NOTES AND QUERIES. 381 



is a very local resident in most parts of mountainous Europe, but has not 

 been recorded from Scandinavia or N.W. Russia, be expressly adds that 

 the Alpine Pipit may almost be said to be a circumpolar bird, and that 

 A. spipoletta var. ludovicianus breeds as far north as Alaska. The range 

 of the intermediate eastern form (said to be common about Lake Baikal) 

 has not perhaps been fully worked ont. There is nothing improbable in a 

 form which breeds in the Alps in Central Europe (I have seen A. spipoletta 

 at an elevation of about 8000 ft.) turning up again on the coast beyond the 

 Arctic Circle. On the contrary, it is not at all unlikely to do so — given 

 suitable haunts. Would it be highly improper to consider that A. spipo- 

 letta of Europe is au alpine species, found also in summer in Eastern Arctic 

 Scandinavia (as represented by the birds described by Seebohm, and found 

 by Mr. Cordeaux on the Varanger Fjord), and that A. obscurus is a western 

 coast form which in the northern part of its coast range approaches A. 

 spipoletta more closely (A. rupestris, with a greyish head, a more distinct 

 eye-stripe than the type, and with white ground colour to the under parts)? 

 That Booth's birds, " found along the south coast [of .England] from the 

 second week in March till the latter part of April," were Arctic examples of 

 A. spipoletta is very probable ; but that they can properly be called Scandi- 

 navian Rock Pipits (i.e. examples of the form of Rock Pipit found com- 

 monly in Scandinavia) seems to me impossible. For it is granted that the 

 unmarked breast and vinous under parts is rarely to be found in collections ; 

 I failed to find it in any of the three museums mentioned above, and it has 

 only been observed in summer, as far as records go, pretty far to the east- 

 ward. Yet Booth wrote : — " Early in March I have shot several examples 

 which plainly showed that its winter dress was identical [probably the white 

 ground colour, which would certainly have been present even if the birds 

 were only A. rupestris, was overlooked] with that bird [our own Rock Pipit], 

 only a very few of the vinous feathers being visible at that time. As spring 

 advances the vinous tint gradually spreads over the whole of the breast, 

 and the back of the head and neck becomes a bluish grey." These birds, 

 which Booth apparently found in fair numbers, could hardly have all been 

 very old examples. Booth observed that they were in some seasons 

 remarkably plentiful between Brighton and Worthing. They must have 

 been common in the breeding haunt for which they were making. Where 

 were they going to ? Not to the Alps of Central Europe. Not to the 

 west coast of Norway, for this is not the form of Rock Pipit found on that 

 coast. Were they not more probably examples of the Arctic race of A. 

 spipoletta going north to breed ? One cannot now shoot (happily for some 

 reasons) along the Sussex coast in March and April, or it would be worth 

 while to try aud get a few more examples. It is true that Booth failed to 

 meet with them during his visits to the south coast for the three years 

 immediately previous to publishing his catalogue, but he may have just 



