88 The Irish Naturalist. Jn.no, 
in a tolerably good state of preservation, and only the 
distal phalanx and nail of the middle-toe of the left foot 
were missing. All the other digits were complete, although 
the nail (claw) of the hind-toe of the left foot had become 
detached ; most fortunately, however, it was picked up 
and preserved, it being a most distinguishing and diagnostic 
character in the case of the Tree-Pipit.^ Most of the scaly 
epidermis of the feet was still adherent, and the horny 
encasements of the nails were intact ; accurate measure- 
ments of the nails of the hind-toes could therefore be made, 
a most essential point in the case of this species when dis- 
tinguishing it from the Meadow-Pipit. The bones of the 
feet were but slightly bleached, the whitish colour being 
chiefly due to the presence of the epidermal scales. It 
was very fortunate that the feet were so complete, for it 
was only by examining them in conjunction with the wings 
that is was possible to determine the species beyond the 
vestige of a doubt. The well-preserved plumage pattern 
of the wings seen when the feathers were dried and arranged, 
at once disclosed the fact that the bird to which they 
belonged was either a Meadow- or a Tree-Pipit ; but to 
make a differential diagnosis between the two species by an 
examination of the wing-plumage alone, is not altogether 
easy. Most of the points of distinction are relative rather 
than absolute. For instance, the length of the wing 
(measured from carpal joint to tip of longest primary) in 
the Tree-Pipit is longer than that in the Meadow-Pipit, but 
this only holds good for averages, the measurements over- 
lapping by several millimetres in extreme cases. ^ Again, 
(^) Of course the hind-toe of the opposite foot would have been sufficient 
to work out the identification ; all the same it was more satisfactory' to 
see the pair, in the event of one being an abnormality or a variation in 
length from the normal. 
(^) The average length of wing in the Meadow-Pipit is about 7.6 cm., 
that of the Tree-Pipit 8.4 cm. In other words the wing of the Tree- 
Pipit is usually some 8 mm, longer than that of the Meadow-Pipit. In 
the case of inverse variations where there is increase from the normal 
in the Meadow-Pipit's wing and decrease in the Tree-Pipit's, the 
mean length for both is about 8 cm. In extreme cases I have found 
the wing of the Meadow-Pipit to reach 8.3 cm. This measurement, 
however, happen^ to fall short of the length of the wing in the Tree-Pipit 
above described. Vide measurements of the specimen p. 92). In one 
of eleven Irish Tree-Pipits investigated the wing measurement droj^peil 
to 7.9 cm. 
