THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST 



185 



BRITISH BIRDS, 

 THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



MEADOW PIPIT. 

 Pratensis. — Of the meadow. 

 Size. — length, 6i in; expanse, 9} in. 



Plumage — The plumage of this species 

 is very like that of the Tree Pipit, but has 

 less of the ochre tint on the under parts, 

 and not so much olive-tinted above. See 

 also last species for other distinctions. 



The Sexes are similar, but the female is 

 rather smaller. Like the Tree Pipit, both 

 sexes assume a more olive tint after the 

 autumn moult. 



Varieties. — Mr. Bond has two pale cream 

 coloured, and another pied with white, simi- 

 lar to the variety of Tree Pipit figured. He 

 has also heard of one entirely white. Mr. 

 Thompson, of Belfast, describes one having 

 the crown of the head primrose yellow; 

 back, white, the feathers edged with yellow; 

 wings, white, with a few primaries of the 

 normal colour ; one half of the tail white, 

 edged on each feather with primrose ; the 

 lower part of the breast and a few odd 

 feathers here and there of the ordinary 

 colour ; bill and legs paler than usual. 



Note.— —The song of this species some- 

 what resembles that of the Tree Pipit, 

 consisting of a succession of similar notes 

 resembling " tsee, tsee, tsee," begun slow 

 and quickened towards the finish ; but the 

 bird does not perform the same graceful 

 spiral evolution, but when singing is gener- 

 ally upon some slightly elevated mound. 

 Occasionally it will ascend 40 or 50 feet into 

 the air, and come down again singing ; but 

 the descent is more in the line of ascent, not 

 in a curve like the last spscies, returning to 

 the ground, or a wall, or elevated stone, 

 sometimes perching on trees. 



Flight. — The ordinary flight is rather 



undulating and generally for short distances. 

 It has also a song-flight described above. 



Migration. — The Meadow Pipit is 

 resident in this country through the year, 

 but many of those from the most northern 

 parts leave for the southern portion in the 

 autumn, returning again in the spring, but 

 it is not supposed that any leave England. 



Food — This consists of small insects 

 of all kinds, snails, and small seeds. 



Habitat. — This is a moorland bird, 

 and is abundant, especially during the 

 breeding season, upon the higher grounds 

 on skirts of woods principally, in almost 

 any part of Britain. During winter, it de- 

 scends to lower meadows and rough places, 

 and may frequently be found during winter 

 in stubbles where there are plenty of weeds. 



Abroad it is found in all the European 

 countries as far north as Lapland, in part 

 of Africa, Asia Minor, and perhaps also in 

 India in winter. 



Nest. — The nest is placed upon the 

 ground, a favourite place being upon the 

 moor edges near the cultivated ground. I 

 have also frequently found it upon the sand- 

 hills near the sea coast. It is composed of 

 dry blades of grass, lined with bents and 

 horse hair. The nest of this bird is more 

 frequently used by the cuckoo than that of 

 any other species. 



Eggs. — The eggs of this species do not 

 run through the same varieties as those of 

 the Tree Pipit, being stone grey, more or 

 less dashed and freckled with umber brown 

 and ash grey, the brown sometimes almost 

 entirely obscuring the ground colour, and 

 occasionally with a few black lines. Some- 

 times they are of a reddish tint. Two forms 

 are given upon the plate from my own 

 collection. The number varies from four 

 to six. 



Varieties. — Mr. Hewitson mentions one 

 not unlike that of the Pied Wagtail. 



