166 TUBDIDJE. 



covered by a large membrane ; the rictal bristles few and weak ; 

 the feathers of the forehead slightly disintegrated ; the tail nearly 

 square or sometimes slightly forked ; the tarsus strongly scutel- 

 lated. 



The sexes are alike, and some species have a seasonal change of 

 plumage caused by the wearing away, in winter, of the margins of 

 the feathers. The young moult into adult plumage at the first 

 autumn. The nestlings of the various species resemble each other 

 closely, and may be described as pale rufous below, densely streaked 

 with dark brown, especially on the breast and sides of the body, 

 the chin being frequently barred. The upper plumage is dark 

 brown, each feather edged with rufous. 



The majority of the Accentors inhabit mountains at considerable 

 elevations ; others, hke the common Accentor or Hedge-Sparrow 

 of England, inhabit gardens and cultivated spots. They feed on 

 insects, and also, it is said, on small seeds. They build their nests 

 in bushes or in holes of rocks, and lay blue eggs. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Wing large and pointed, longer than tail by 



more than length of tarsus ACCENTOR, p. 166. 



b. Wing small and blunt, longer than tail by 



much less than length of tarsus THARB.HALEUS, p. 168. 



Genus ACCENTOR, Bechst., 1802. 



The genus Accentor, in addition to the characters of the subfamily, 

 has a long and pointed wing. The wing is longer than the tail by 

 more than the length of the tarsus, and the secondaries fall short 

 of the tip of the wing also by about the length of the tarsus. 



The Accentors of this genus are more or less migratory. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Breast uniformly greyish brown A. nepalensis, p. 166. 



b. Breast rufous, feathers edged with white . . A. himalayanm, p. 168. 



712. Accentor nepalensis. The Eastern Alpine Accentor. 



Accentor nipalensis, Hodgs., Blyth, J. A, S. B. xii, p. 958 (1843) ; 

 Blyth, Cat. p. 130; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i, p. 359 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 286 j 

 Blanf. J. A. S. B. xli, pt. ii, p. 63 ; Hume 8f Hend. Lah. to Yark. 

 p. 234; Hwne, Cat. no. 652; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 74; 1882, 

 p. 281 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 568 ; SJiarpe, Cat. B. M. vii, p. 664. 



Accentor cacharensis, Hodgs. P. Z. 8. 1845, p. 34. 



The Large Himalayan Accentor, Jerd. 



Coloration. Forehead, crown, nape, and hind neck greyish 



