Family Motacillide
WAGTAILS AND PIPITS.
Only three of the sixty odd species in this family inhabit North America, and but one is found in the Eastern States. They are all terrestrial birds, and have been named from their habit of wagging their tails. 697. Anthus pensilvanicus (Lath.). AMERICAN PIPIT: TITLARK. (See Fig. 54.) Ad. - Upper parts dark brownish gray; wings and tail fuscous; wing-coverts tipped with whitish or buffy; end half of outer tail-feather white, next one tipped with white; a white or buffy line over the eye; under parts white or buffy, streaked with fuscous, except on the throat and middle of the belly; hind toe-nail the longest, as long as or longer than its toe. L., 6-38; W., 3.50; T., 2.69; B., 47.
Range.-"North America at large, breeding in the higher parts of the Rocky Mountains and subarctic districts, and wintering in the Gulf States, Mexico, and Central America" (A. O. U.).
Washington, W. V., sometimes abundant, Oct. 15 to Apl. 25. Sing Sing, common T. V., March 26 to (?); Sept. 24 to Nov. 16. Cambridge, T. V., abundant Sept. 20 to Nov. 10; less common Apl. 10 to May 20. Nest, of grasses, on the ground. Eggs, four to six, bluish white or grayish white, thickly and evenly speckled with cinnamon- or vinaceous-brown, 78 x 57.
Large, open tracts in the vicinity of the coast are the localities in which Titlarks are most common, but they are also found in numbers in old fields, meadows, and pastures inland. A recently burned or newly plowed field is a good place in which to look for them. Once seen, there is little difficulty in identifying these graceful walkers, as they run on before you, or with constantly wagging tail await your approach. The individuals of a flock are generally scattered over a varying space while feeding, but when flushed they rise together and, with a soft dee-dee, dee-dee, mount high in the air as though bound for parts unknown, but often, after hovering above you for several THRASHERS, WRENS, ETC. seconds in an undecided way, they will return to or near the place from which they rose.
Their flight is light and airy, and in loose companies they undulate gently through the air without apparent effort, uttering their faint dee-dee as they fly.
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (700. Anthus spragueii), a species of the Great Plains, has been once recorded from near Charleston, S. C. (Wayne, Auk, xi, 1894, p. 80). The EUROPEAN WHITE WAGTAIL (694. Motacilla alba) and EUROPEAN MEADOW PIPIT (698. Anthus pratensis) have been recorded as of accidental occurrence in Greenland.