TREE PIPIT. 
171 
INSESSORES. ANTHIDJE. 
DENTIROSTRES. 
TREE PIPIT. 
Anthus arboreus. 
PLATE XLIII. 
Amongst our land birds there is no species the eggs of 
which present so many, or such distinct varieties as those 
of the Tree Pipit. No one would at first believe them 
to be eggs of the same species ; and it was not till I had 
captured the bird upon each of the varieties, and also 
received them from Mr. H. Doubleday similarly attested, 
that I felt satisfactorily convinced upon the subject. 
Of the varieties figured, all are easily procured. I 
have taken them all in abundance when I was at school. 
The first figure is the most common. 
In woody countries the Tree Pipit is very abundant, 
especially in Devonshire, Somersetshire, and some parts 
of Cumberland; differing in this its choice from the very 
closely-assimilated species the titlark, which, though it 
may be met with in the more cultivated and woody dis¬ 
tricts, is far more abundant on moors and open heaths, 
where it is followed by the cuckoo. 
The nest of this species is composed chiefly of dry grass, 
mixed with moss, lined with finer grasses, and sometimes 
a few hairs. It is placed upon the ground, rarely far 
distant from trees or brushwood, and is frequently found 
in woods and plantations by the side of a drive or foot- 
