186 ALPINE ACCENTOR. 



ACCENTOR. Generic characters. Bill strong, 

 depressed at the base ; wings with the first 

 quill very short, third longest ; wing altoge- 

 ther rather short ; legs and feet strong. A. 

 modularis. 



Note. Europe, India. 



THE ALPINE ACCENTOR, ACCENTOR ALPINUS, 

 Btchst. Accentor aJpinus, Bechst. La Fauvttte 

 des Alpes, Buff. Collared Stare, and Alpine 

 Warbler, Latham. Alpine Accentor of British 

 authors. The Alpine Accentor lays claim to rank 

 in the British Fauna, from the occurrence of a 

 single specimen shot in the garden of King's 

 College, Cambridge, and now forming part of the 

 collection of the Rev. Dr Thackery. The alps of 

 Middle Europe are its natural and most frequent 

 station ; but its geographical range in either 

 direction does not seem to be ascertained, or at 

 least is not mentioned by our modern writers on 

 European ornithology. So far as we at present 

 know, it is local, or spreads over a very limited 

 space of country. Its occurrence in Bin tain can 

 be only looked on as a specimen driven somehow 

 from its course. During the summer months, it 

 keeps to the higher parts of the mountains, where 

 it breeds in the clefts of the rock ; but like its 

 British congener, it also seems to be fond of 

 society, for it frequents the vicinity of cottages 

 built at a high elevation, and breeds about or 

 very near them. During winter it descends 



