ACCENTOR 149 



with apical white spots ; tail dark brown all but the centre feathers with a 

 white terminal patch on the inner web ; chin and throat white, spotted 

 with black ; rest of the under parts ashy grey, the flanks light chestnut 

 red, margined with white ; under tail-coverts blackish brown tipped with 

 white ; bill blackish brown, yellowish at the base ; legs cinnamon brown ; 

 iris brown. Culmen 0'55, wing 4*1, tail 2'9, tarsus TO inch. Sexes alike, 

 but the young have the feathers on the back with rufous margins, the 

 under parts are duller and the spotted white gorget is absent. 



Hah. The mountains of Central and Southern Europe east to 

 Asia Minor ; has occurred as far north as Heligoland and has 

 been obtained on several occasions in Great Britain. 



Frequents high mountains in the summer as high up as the 

 snow-line, and descends into the valleys in the winter. It is not 

 shy and hops about amongst the stones and bushes like our 

 Hedge-sparrow, and has been found in small flocks not only in 

 the winter but in colonies in the breeding season. It feeds on 

 insects of various kinds and seeds of alpine plants. Its call-note 

 resembles the syllables tri, tri, tri, and its song is a rich liquid 

 chick, icTi, ich, ich. 



Its nest, which is placed under the ledge of a rock or under a 

 low bush on the ground, is constructed of grass-bents, roots, and 

 a few lichens, or moss, lined with the same materials or 

 occasionally a few feathers. The eggs 4-5 in number are 

 usually deposited in June and resemble those of the Hedge- 

 sparrow (A. modularis), but are larger, measuring about 0'92 by 

 0-64. 



211. SUBSP. ACCENTOR ERYTHROPYGIUS. 



Accentor erythropygius (Swinhoe), P. Z. S., 1870, p. 124, pi. 9 ; Gould, B. 

 of Asia, iv. pi. 43 ; David and Oust, Ois. Chine, p. 178 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 663 ; Tacz. f. 0. Sib. 0. p. 221. 



Ad. (E. Siberia). Differs from A. collaris in having the head and neck 

 slightly darker, the flanks more rufous, and the rump and upper tail-coverts 

 dull rusty instead of grey. Culmen 0'52, wing-4'25, tail 3'22, tarsus 0'95 inch. 



Hob. The mountains of Eastern Siberia, and as far south as 

 near Pekin ; also Japan. 



In general habits it does not differ from Accentor collaris and 

 also inhabits rocky mountainous localities at considerable 

 elevations, retiring down into the valleys or passing further 

 south in the late autumn. It breeds in the Chamardaban 

 mountains in the southern Baikal district, and its nest and eggs 

 doubtless resemble those of A . collaris, but so far as I know they 

 have not yet been obtained. 



