THE HEDGE-ACCENTORS. 305 



bird, and all the species of the genus have a small and blunt 

 wing, with the secondary quills almost as long as the primaries. 

 There are six species in the Himalayas, three European, another 

 Central Asian, and a third still more eastern representative of 

 the genus in Japan. 



The species of the genus Accentor, which has a longer and 

 more pointed wing, with the secondaries not nearly equalling 

 the primaries in length, are found in the mountains of Asia 

 and Europe, extending from Manchuria throughout the Altai 

 and Himalayan systems to the Caucasus and the mountains of 

 Central and Southern Europe. 



THE HEDGE-ACCENTORS. GENUS THARRIIALEUS. 



TharrhahuS) Kaup, Natiirl. Syst., p. 137 (1829). 

 Type, T. modulciris (Linn.). 



The characters which distinguish this genus from Accentor 

 have been alluded to above. The bill is about half the length 

 of the head, rather wide at the base, and tapering laterally 

 towards the centre, and ending in a somewhat fine point ; it 

 has also a slight notch, and is furnished with rictal bristles, 

 which, however, are few in number and weak. The Hedge- 

 Sparrows lay blue eggs like Redstarts and Chats, but differ 

 from these birds in having the sexes alike in colour, and in 

 other structural characters. 



I. THE HEDGE-SPARROW. THARRHALEUS MODULARIS. 



Motacilla modularis^ Linn., Syst. Nat, i., p. 329 (1766). 



Accentor modularis, Macg., Br. B., ii., p. 251 (1839); Newt. ed. 

 Yarr., i., p. 301 (1873); Dresser, B., Eur., iii., p. 39, pi. 101 

 (1873); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., vii., p. 649 (1883^; 

 B. O. U. List. Br. B., p. 22 (1883); Seeb., Br. B., i., 

 p. 497 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. v. (1887); 

 Saunders, Man., p. 85 (1889); Wyatt, Br. B., pi. xv., fig. i. 

 (1894). 



Adult Male. General colour above brown, streaked with broad 

 blackish-brown centres to the feathers; lesser wing-coverts 

 i x 



