the pipits 
113 
ern point being the south of Sweden. It arrives in South- 
eastern Europe at the end of March or the beginning of April, 
and reaches its more northern breeding ground at the end of 
the latter month, or early in May. One of the best accounts 
of the habits of this species is contributed by Mr. Dixon to 
Mr. Seebohm’s “ History of British Birds,” and is quoted at 
length, as it illustrates a mode of life somewhat different to that 
of our own Pipits: “The Tawny-Pipit is very common in the 
more elevated parts of Algeria, and is a bird that cannot easily 
be passed unseen. To look at its plumage one might almost ex- 
pect to meet with it only in the desert ; but in summer, at any 
rate, it does not frequent that sandy waste, and we only met 
with it on the elevated plateaux beyond Constantine, and in 
the neighbourhood of Batna and Lambessa. The road be- 
tween these two latter places runs through rich meadows and 
barley-fields, and abounded with Tawny-Pipits in abundance. 
I saw them only in pairs ; they were very tame, and often 
allowed themselves to be almost trodden upon before they 
would take wing. I often saw them running about very quickly 
over the bare pieces of ground, stopping now and then to look 
round to see if they were being pursued. When flushed they 
would often fly for a little distance in a very straightforward 
manner, not undulating, as is their usual flight, and perch on 
a little tuft of higher vegetation, or on a boulder, or even a 
paling. Many of the birds were on the road, where you could 
witness their actions very closely as they ran up and down like 
a Wagtail, often giving their tail a sharp jerk, accompanied by 
a flicking movement of the wings. They seemed to especially 
piefer a large unenclosed plain of rough land on which no crop 
was sown, what we should call summer fallow in England. 
Here I repeatedly saw the birds soar into the air for a little 
way and sing their loud but simple song, which put me in 
mind of the Sky- Larks’ notes, although not so rich or so sweet. 
he species does not soar so high as the Tree-Pipit, and seems 
anxious to get to the ground again. When alarmed by the report 
of a gun, the birds close at hand would generally rise for some 
distance into the air and betake themselves to safer quarters in 
a drooping flight, uttering a short whit, or y. hit, as they went I 
found an empty nest, which could only have belonged to 'this 
bird, placed amongst the growing barley, which was about 
