168 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURM/^H. 
160. CORYDALLA RUFULA. 
THE INDIAN PIPIT. 
Anthus rufulus, Vieill. Nouv. Bid. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi. p. 494. Anthus malay- 
ensis, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, p. 104. Corydalla rufula, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 232 ; 
Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 384 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 96 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv. p. 330 ; 
Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi. p. 366 ; CripiJS, 8. F. vii. p. 288 ; Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 103 ; 
8cully, 8. F. viii. p. 317 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 625. Corydalla malayensis, 
Hume Sf Dav. 8. F. \'i. p. 366 ; Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 103. Corydalla ubiqui- 
taria {Hodgs.), Anders. Yunnan Fxped. p. 607. 
Description. — Male and female. So similar to C. richardi as to require 
no separate description. It differs solely in being mueli smaller. 
Bill dark brown_, yellowish at the base of the lower mandible ; iris 
brown ; legs flesh-colour ; claws brownish. 
Length 6*5 inches^ tail 2'4_, wing 3^ tarsus 1, bill from gape 'S,, hind 
claw '5. 
After examining a large series of C. malayensis from the Malay peninsula 
and Sumatra, I am unable to find that it differs in any respect whatever 
from the Indian bird^ C. rufula. The differential characters given by 
Mr. Hume c.) do not hold good when a large series of both supposed 
races are compared. C. lugubris, Walden^ and C. hasselti, Temm._, are 
probably only varieties of C. rufula. 
The Indian Pipit is found as a permanent resident over nearly the whole 
of British Burmah. Mr. Blyth records it from Arrakan ; and I found it 
very abundant in every part of Pegu, except the dry northern parts near 
Prome and Thayetmyo. Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay procured it at Tonghoo; 
and both Mr. Davison and Capt. Bingham found it abundant in all those 
parts of Tenasserim which they respectively explored. 
It occurs in the Malay peninsula^ Siam, Cochin China and Sumatra, and 
probably in other parts of the archipelago. It is spread over the Indo- 
Burmese countries and the whole of the peninsula of India and Ceylon. 
It probably is not found north of the Himalayas. 
This Pipit is found in all parts of the country except the well-wooded 
ones. It is partial to open grass-plains and dry paddy-fields, and is also 
met with in compounds and gardens. It runs very rapidly along the 
ground, and never flies very far. It feeds both on insects and grass-seeds. 
It breeds in Burmah during March, April and May. The nest, which is 
made of grass-stalks and roots, is placed in a hollow in the ground under 
or close to a clod or tuft of grass. The eggs, usually three in number^ are 
pale greenish marked with brown and dull rufous -brown. 
