ALPINE ACCENTOR. 235 



name "Blue Dunnock" may refer to the eggs or the colour of 

 the bird's head. The Cuckoo is said to prefer the Hedge- 

 Sparrow for a foster-parent for its young, but in the north of 

 England the Tree or Meadow-Pipit, Wagtail or Robin are more 

 favoured. Lilford found that the eggs were frequently devoured 

 by rats and mice, and it has been suggested that their bright 

 colour is conspicuous, but even blue eggs are not easily visible 

 in a thick hedge, and the rodents would as a rule have to climb 

 to find them. 



The colour of the male and female, for the sexes are alike, is 

 rufous brown with dark brown streaks ; the head, throat and 

 breast are slate-grey, the bill, legs and irides are brown. The 

 young are browner and more spotted, and they have no slate on 

 the head. Length, 5*8 ins. Wing, 2-8 ins. Tarsus, "8 in. 



Alpine Accentor. AccenUn- collaris (Scop.). 



The Alpine Accentor (Plate 97) is a bird of the high moun- 

 tains of central and southern Europe, and closely allied forms 

 occur in Asia. It is not looked upon as a regular migrant, 

 but winter forces it from the high altitudes, often of over 4000 

 feet, and it wanders, appearing in various parts of Europe. 

 Since 1817, when it was first obtained it has occurred at 

 least a score of times in Britain, from Cornwall to Fair Island. 

 Saunders watched one on Snowdon in 1870. Its actions rather 

 than its habits are similar to those of the Hedge-Sparrow ; it 

 has the same '' creeping " hop, and the song and call-note have 

 a distinct family relationship. It may be distinguished from the 

 Dunnock by its speckled throat, two white wing-bars and rich 

 chestnut flanks, as well as by its greater size. The bill is 

 yellowish, darker above, and the legs have a pinkish tinge; 

 the irides are brown. Length, 7 ins. Wing, 4*1 ins. Tarsus, 

 I in. 



