ROCK PIPIT. 
209 
ing to attack or to draw him from the vicinity. 
The nest is placed by a rock, or under the edge, 
where it is concealed by the herbage above ; it is 
formed chiefly of dried grasses. Mr Hewitson 
mentions having found one “ in the centre of a 
heap of dry sea weed, which lay upon the sandy 
shore.” The eggs are not so variable in colour as 
those of the last, grayish brown being the prevail- 
ing tint. 
The Rock Pipit stretches pretty generally 
from north to south around our coasts, and is 
found in the Orkney and Shetland isles. On the 
European coasts, it is also not unfrequent, parti- 
cularly on their lying in a range nearly similar 
with the shores of Britain. Mr Swainson has 
given a good figure of a bird in the Northern 
Zoology, under the title adopted by Bechstein ; 
but Mr Yarrell having examined the specimens, 
and compared them with native ones, considers 
them distinct ; Temminck states, that those re- 
ceived from Japan differ but slightly, being 
darker and more largely spotted. 
In the breeding state, the plumage of the 
upper parts are grayish umber brown, the margins 
of the feathers lighter, but so narrow as not to be 
very conspicuous ; a light streak passes above the 
eyes ; the wings and tail are umber brown, the 
feathers of the former margined with yellowish 
white, and the outer tail feathers being yellowish 
brown; under parts grayish white, changing to 
yellowish white on the centre of the belly, and 
being there, and on the throat, free from spots ; 
o 
