n6 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
and also flies up into the air to utter its song, which is de- 
scribed by Mr. Seebohm as being like that of the Meadow- 
Pipit, but not so sweet: its call-note also resembles that of the 
latter bird. 
Nest. — Composed of dry grass, with some moss, lined with 
fine roots, and occasionally with horse-hair or wool. 
Eggs. — Four or five in number. The ground-colour is dull 
white, obscured by the closely-set mottlingsand numerous dots 
of purplish-brown, sometimes clouding round the larger end, 
where there are hair-like lines of black. Another type of egg 
is more like that of a Wagtail, wherein the brown spots are 
more sparsely distributed, except at the larger end, where they 
collect, the greyish underlying markings being also very dis- 
tinct. Both brown- and grey-tinted eggs occur in the same 
clutch. Axis, o - 8- o '9 inch ; diam., 0 65. 
THE ROCK-PIPIT. ANTHUS OBSCURUS. 
Alauda obscura, Lath. Ind. Orn., ii., p. 494 (1790). 
Anthus aquatints, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 194 (1839). 
Anthus obscurus, Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 586 (1874); Dresser, 
B. Eur., iii., p. 342, pi. 141 (1877); B. O. U. List Br. B., 
p. 35 (1883); Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 244 (1SS4); Sharpe, Cat. 
B. Brit. Mus., x., p. 599 (1885); Saunders, Man., p. 135 
(1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. xviii (1891). 
Adult Male in Breeding Plumage. — Olive brown above with dark 
centres to the feathers ; throat dull white ; under surface of 
body whitish, very thickly mottled with dark brown centres to 
the feathers; wing-coverts tipped with dull white; light pattern 
of outer tail-feather smoky-brown ; the penultimate feather also 
smoky-brown at the tip ; bill black ; feet fleshy-brown ; iris 
brown. Total length, 6‘8 inches; culmen, 07; wing, 3-45 ; 
tail, 2-6 ; tarsus, 0-95. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but less spotted under- 
neath. Total length, 6-4 inches ; wing, 3-35. 
Winter Plumage.— Resembles the summer plumage, but is 
more olive ; a narrow moustachial line of blackish-brown, 
widening out on to the sides of the lower throat ; throat dull 
white, marked with olive; fore-neck and breast olive, the 
