Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 5 (1901).djvu/291

Rh From this and its movements—it remained steadfastly on the same bush, following all my movements, and seemed loth to leave the spot, just as a breeding bird would have done—I suspected at the time that the bird was breeding, and regretted much that I did not watch it to its nest before killing it. A long search afterwards for a nest was fruitless, and as I did not see another bird like it while I was on the mountain side—I was there for several days—I may have been mistaken in this surmise, as the date—May 26th—would not be too late for it to be resting only on its way to its northern breeding haunts.

It will perhaps be as well to give here a description of this bird:—The general appearance is very dark, and bold in its markings, as compared with A. pratensis. The throat, upper breast, commencement of flanks, and lower part of cheeks was, in the living bird, a light buffish chestnut, deepest on throat; but this has now faded to buff. Lores and round the eyes buffish white, which contrasts sharply with the dark crown. On the under parts, which are creamy white, there is a series of bold, broad, black stripes extending from throat to end of flanks, which are of an obscure buff. Belly and under tail-coverts cream-white. Top of the head and mantle have bold blackish brown centres to the feathers, broadly bordered on mantle, and faintly on crown, with cream; but the borders to most of the feathers have been worn away, giving the back a very dark appearance. Back of the neck from nape much paler, being a buffish brown. Wing-coverts, greater and median, dark brown, broadly margined with cream, which would form two bars across the wing; but this, like the tail, is much worn and abraded. Outer tail-feathers have the outside portion white from the base, inside dark brown, as are all the others excepting two central ones, which are lighter brown; the tips only of second pair appear to have been white, but, as I have before said, this member is so worn and short, that not much can be judged of it. Legs and toes dark brown. Bill, upper mandible dark brown, lower pale brown. Axillaries yellowish white on outer portion, inner fringe greyish.

On Aug. 9th, 1898, Mr. H. Elliott Howard shot a Pipit in Co. Donegal, which he most kindly presented to me, while still in the flesh, on the following day, as it was on the morning of his return to England when he procured the bird. This bird at once arrested Mr. Howard's attention, from the conspicuous dark lines with nearly white margins on the mantle, which were distinctly observable both when the bird was on the ground and during flight. This specimen is remarkably distinct in its markings, and much easier to identify than the St. Leonard's bird; indeed, it could not be mistaken for a Meadow-Pipit, and directly Mr. Howard handed the bird to me I said that it was either a Red-throated Pipit, or the St. Leonard's bird was not correctly identified; but there need not be a shadow of doubt