ACCENTORINJS. 285 



apparent leaning towards that family among the Accentors, as 

 shewn in the bill of Accentor and Cinclosoma. Seiurus of 

 America also, and its immediate allies, perhaps ought also to enter 

 this as a sub-division, rather than the Motacillints. 



On the whole, taking into consideration the several groups of 

 birds believed to associate naturally with it, we may look on this 

 family as an aberrant group of birds having affinities with certain 

 Thrushes, Saxicolines, and Wagtails on the one side, with more 

 distant analogies for Certhia; and, on the other side, with the 

 Mniotiltince; and, like other of the Ampelidce, showing a marked 

 tendency towards some of the conirostral families. 



With such varied forms, and numerous affinities and ana- 

 logies, perhaps the present place is about as appropriate as 

 any other ; but, from these very circumstances, it probably 

 ought to form a distinct family, placed between Motacillina 

 and MniotiltincB. 



The only Indian member of this family is Accentor, the type of 

 which is the Hedge-sparrow of Britain, A. modularis. In this 

 country they are entirely confined to the Himalayas, and several 

 species have been lately described. Most of them frequent the 

 higher elevations, one species only, in winter, descending to a level 

 of 5,000 feet, in the vicinity of Darjeeling. 



Gen. Accentor, Bechstein. 



Char. — Bill straight, conic, sharp, of moderate length, high, 

 rather wide at the base, notched at the tip, which is very slightly 

 bent down; wings moderate, the 3rd quill the longest; tail moderate, 

 even ; feet and legs stout ; Hind toe somewhat elongated and 

 stout. 



The Dunnocks, as they are called by some, frequent bushy 

 ground, hedge-rows and the like, a few affecting rocky ground 

 among high mountains. They feed much on the ground, on 

 various insects, worms, and seeds. They have of late been sub- 

 divided into several genera, which I shall not here adopt. 



The first species noticed is the only Indian one with unstreaked 

 plumage, and, in its coloration, we see a distinct approach to a Leio- 

 trichine type, in the wing-coverts and pale wing band. 



