5 
In its habits it somewhat resembles the Chats or the Rock-Thrushes; and, like the latter, it 
inhabits the rocky Alpine regions. Naumann says that it is not a lively bird, but that it often 
remains on one spot, sitting on a stone or edge of a precipice, with puffed-up feathers. It seldom 
or scarcely ever sits on a bough. Out of the breeding-season one often sees them in families; it 
is a harmless, confiding bird, flying off but a short distance when disturbed, or else hiding 
amongst the stones, or running away like a Stonechat, with which it bears considerable affinity. 
When sitting it often jerks its tail, flutters its wings, and makes quick movements with its head 
and the fore part of its body. Its flight is quick, being a succession of bow-shaped bounds; but 
it does not fly far. Its call-note, which it generally utters sitting, and but seldom on the wing, 
resembles that of the Snow-Finch, and may be reproduced by the syllables tri, tr7, tri. The song 
of the male is pleasant and varied, but rather melancholy. It resembles the song of the Lark 
and Pipit, and the more so as it sings not only when sitting on the rocks but when fluttering in 
the air. Naumann says that the song resembles more that of the Meadow-Pipit, but is some- 
what like that of the Tree-Pipit. 
During the breeding-season it is to be met with in the higher Alpine regions of Southern 
and Central Europe; its nest is placed under a ledge of rock or in some sheltered position. We 
are indebted to our friend Dr. A. Girtanner, of St. Gallen, for a beautiful nest of this bird, taken 
in Canton Uri, Switzerland, in July 1872. This nest is neatly constructed of dried grass bents 
and fine roots, intermixed with a few lichens, and is lined with the same materials of rather finer 
texture than those forming the outside of the nest; in size it measures five inches outside and 
three inches inside diameter. In Dresser’s collection are two sittings of the eggs of this bird, 
one five and the other four in number; these eggs resemble those of the Common Hedge- 
Accentor (Accentor modularis), but are larger in size. Our friend Dr. E. Rey informs us that he 
possesses five eggs, obtained on St. Gothard in June 1869, which in size vary from 23:0 to 23:5 
millimetres in length and from 16°25 to 16-75 millimetres in diameter. 
The adult bird figured and described was obtained in the Savoy Alps, the nestling from near 
Barcelonette, both being now in Dresser’s collection; and the young bird described is in the 
collection of Mr. Howard Saunders. - 
In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens :— 
E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 
a, 6. Savoy Alps (Count Ercole Turati). 6, 2. Piedmont, December 1859 (Count Salvadori). c. Switzerland. 
d, pullus. Environs de Barcelonette (E. Fairmaire). e, 3. Sierra Nevada, Spain, May 1872 (Sanchez). 
E Mus. Howard Saunders. 
a, 2. St. Gothard, June. 5. 3. Savoy Alps (Fuirmaire). c, 3. Picacho de Mulhacen, Sierra Nevada, Spain, 
July 1870. d, 2 juv. Picacho de Mulhacen, August 15th, 1870 (Sanchez). e, d. Sierra Nevada, May 
1872 (Sanchez). 
E Mus. Sir V. Brooke. 
a. North Italy, 1869 (V. B.). 
