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The third day, when we were perhaps off Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, the American pipit or titlark, from the far north, a brown bird about the size of a sparrow, dropped upon the deck of the ship, so nearly exhausted that one of the sailors was on the point of covering it with his hat.
On all of these the Rock Pipit may be found breeding, but its nest is generally so well concealed amongst the thrift samphire, wild stock, and other seaside plants which grow rather rankly amongst those rocks, considering how little soil there generally is for them and what wild storms they are subject to, that it is by no means easy to find it, though one may almost see the bird leave the nest.
The burong pipit resembles the sparrow in its appearance, habits, numbers, and the destruction it causes to the grain. The murei, or dial-bird, resembling a small magpie, has a pretty but short note. There is not any bird in the country that can be said to sing.
The following account, written by an eye-witness, bears the stamp of authenticity, and is furthermore re-enforced by a careful and most graphic drawing made on the spot, which I here reproduce, and fully substantiates the previous statement by Dr. Jenner. The scene of the tragedy was the nest of a pipit, or titlark, on the ground beneath a heather-bush.
Gin they had a' fouchten as he pipit, there wad hae been anither tale to tell. And he was toon-piper forby, jist like you, Sanders, efter they took frae him a' 'at he had. 'Na! heard ye ever the like o' that! Weel, wha wad hae thocht it? Faith! we maun hae you fiddle as weel as yer lucky-daiddy pipit. 'He'll be roarin' mair like a bull o' the country than the king o' 't.
The large hornbill was named "Gasalo," the smaller kind "Talactic," the large pigeon "Buabu," a bee-eater "Patirictiric," and other names were "Pipit," "Culiaun," "Alibasbas," "Quilaquilbunduc," "Papalacul," "Batala," "Batubatu," "Culasisi." Some of the spiders here were of great size, and in these mountain forests their webs were a great nuisance.
The Tree Pipit is mentioned in Professor Ansted's list, but no letters marking the distribution of the species amongst the Islands are given. There is no specimen of this or either of the other Pipits in the Museum. MEADOW PIPIT. Anthus pratensis, Linnaeus. French, "Le cujelier," "Pipit des prés," "Pipit Farlouse."
He runs about on the ground like a pipit, but also frequently perches on some bush to go through a strange flight-song performance. He perches motionless, bolt upright, and even then his black coloring advertises him for a quarter of a mile round about.
I spent all this last day with my blind guide, looking at the antiquities that abound in the west or north-west of the island. As we set out I noticed among the groups of girls who smiled at our fellowship old Mourteen says we are like the cuckoo with its pipit a beautiful oval face with the singularly spiritual expression that is so marked in one type of the West Ireland women.
I have not myself seen the Yellow Wagtail in either of the Islands during my summer visits in 1866, 1876, or 1878; so it certainly cannot be very common during the breeding-season, or I could scarcely have missed seeing it. Professor Ansted has not included it in his list, and there is no specimen at present in the Museum. TREE PIPIT. Anthus trivialis, Linnaeus.
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