5 2 Slimmer Studies of Birds and Books chap. 



difficult indeed to climb, but leading to tbat in- 

 vigorating level moorland where the Pipits have their 

 summer home. On such a craggy edge a friend of 

 mine, returning last Whitsuntide from a ramble 

 through drizzling "Welsh rain, came suddenly upon 

 an Alpine Accentor. He had known the bird in 

 Switzerland, and his account of it leaves no doubt in 

 my mind as to the identification. It was sitting in 

 dumpy fashion on the edge of a rock, as this Accentor 

 loves to sit, and the chestnut of its flanks and the 

 double whitish stripe on the wing were distinctly 

 visible to the astonished stranger. 



Four weeks later, inspired by a faint hope of 

 finding this bird breeding for the first time in our 

 island, Mr. Aplin and I made a rapid journey to the 

 same district, and were guided to the identical spot 

 by the most explicit directions from our friend. For 

 two mornings we scrambled about those rocky slopes, 

 and noted how singularly they resembled the 

 Accentor's haunts on the Joch pass ; but our search 

 was all in vain. This bird alone was wanting to 

 complete the illusion that we were in the Alps. The 

 Eing-ousel was nesting not far off, and we could now 

 and then hear his metallic alarm -note from some 

 stunted bush among the crags. Here too was of 

 course the Wheatear, singing that delicate warble 

 which is so grateful to the ear of the dweller in 

 midland plains ; and here too were a few pairs of 



