TWO RACES PECULIAR TO BRITISH ISLES. 315 



respect, with the exception of one from the Pyrenees and 

 one from Sardinia. The latter is a winter bird and may 

 possibly have come from anywhere, but the Pyrenean 

 bird was shot in May, and must be a native of its place ; 

 it is also rather dark, but being in worn plumage and dirty, 

 the latter point is insignificant. Other Pyrenean ex- 

 amples agree with continental examples. 



After these explanations I do not hesitate to separate 

 the British Hedge-Sparrow under the name Accentor 

 modularis occidentalis . It is probably restricted to the 

 British Isles, but it may also inhabit the western parts 

 of France, especially Normandy and Brittany, whence I 

 have not seen specimens, but an adult male which I ob- 

 tained eleven years ago on the rocks in the sea near Herm, 

 Channel Islands, though in somewhat worn plumage 

 and with damaged wings, appears to me to be a typical 

 occidentalis. 



The type of A. m. occidentalis, from Tring, is preserved 

 in the Rothschild Museum. 



The name "Curruca Eliotae'''' Leach, "Syst., Cat. Indig. 

 Mamm. and Birds in the Brit. Mus.," p. 24 (1816), though 

 used for an English specimen, is a nomen nudum without 

 any description whatever, and the only two other 

 synonyms of Accentor modularis refer to continental 

 specimens. 



II. Pratincola torquata hibernans. 

 The British Stonechat. 



For years I have been aware of the fact that British 

 Stonechats have the edges to the feathers of the upperside 

 of a darker and more reddish rufous colour than con- 

 tinental examples, and I have occasionally discussed 

 this with some of my colleagues, but, not being fond of 

 naming new forms unless I have been able to study more 

 or less thoroughly all the allies, I have never troubled 

 about it. When working out the genus Pratincola for 

 my book on the Palaearctic birds, however, I recognised 



