96 ALPINE ACCENTOR. 



owing to a chain of forms of questionable distinctness, leading to 

 well-defined species in those highlands of Asia which form the 

 head-quarters of the 01d-A\'orld genus Accentor. 



The nest, built towards the end of May, is placed on the ground, 

 among crevices of rocks, or under some small bush ; it is round, 

 compact, and somewhat shallow, the materials consisting of dry 

 grass-stems, with a slight lining of fine moss, and sometimes a few 

 feathers. The 4-5 eggs are of a pale blue, like those of the other 

 members of the genus: measurements "95 in. by '68 in. In summer 

 the bird is to be found up to the edge of the snow-line, and 

 seldom below the altitude of 4,000 feet : while on the Tatra 

 Mountains of Galizia, Count Wodzicki met with breeding colonies 

 of from twenty to forty pairs ; an unusual gregariousness, though in 

 autumn small flocks collect. In summer this species feeds on 

 beetles and other insects, while in autumn it gets as fat as a 

 Bunting on the seeds of Alpine plants ; nor does it leave the 

 mountains until snow covers the seeds, and forces it downwards 

 to the villages and even to the coast. It creeps about in the same 

 sly way as our Hedge-Sparrow does ; like that bird, it undoubtedly 

 hops, and does not run, as some writers have asserted ; nor does it 

 duck its head and jerk up its tail every time it utters its note, after 

 the manner of the Chats. Seebohm saw it at least fifty times 

 without perceiving the habit alluded to, and the same is my own 

 experience. He describes the song as a rich liquid chick, ich, ich, 

 ich ; the call-note is a plaintive tri, tri, tri. 



The adult has the head, nape, and earcoverts greyish-brown with 

 darker streaks ; back rather browner, with broader streaks down the 

 centre of each feather ; wing-coverts dark brown, tipped with white 

 spots, which form a double bar ; secondaries margined and tipped 

 with rufous ; primaries dark brown ; tail dark brown, with buffish-white 

 tips, which are larger on the inner webs and almost absent on the 

 central feathers ; chin and throat white, spotted with black ; breast 

 and centre of abdomen greyish-brown ; flanks mottled with dark 

 chestnut ; bill black above, yellowish at the base ; legs and feet 

 pinkish-yellow, in life. The sexes are alike in plumage. The young 

 bird has the feathers of the back edged with rufous ; there is no 

 mottled white patch on the throat ; and the under parts are of a 

 very dusky yellowish-brown. Length 7 in. ; wing to the tip of the 

 3rd and longest primary 4-1 in. ; the bastard primary is compara- 

 tively small. 



