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ACCENTOR ALTAICUS, Brandt. 



Altaian Accentor. 



Accentor altaicus, Brandt, Bull, des Acad, des Sci. de St. Petersb., i. no. 23.— Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, 

 vol. i. p. 187, Accentor, sp. 9.— Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 306, Accentor, sp. 10. 



— : Himalayanus, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. p. 187. 



variegatus, Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xii. p. 958— lb. Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. 



Calcutta, p. 131.— Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 305, Accentor, sp. 3.— Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. 

 East Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 359. 



That the bird here represented — the Accentor variegatus of Mr. Blyth — is identical with the A. altaicus of 

 M. Brandt I have little doubt, since the description given by the latter naturalist precisely accords with the 

 Indian bird. Like the A. atrogularis, this species ranges over the high and sterile countries extending from 

 the Himalaya to the Altai. It is from the former of these that all the specimens in my collection have been 

 received ; those in the Honourable East India Company's Museum are from Nepal, while those in the 

 Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta are from Sikkim. 



In its general contour and in the disposition of its markings the present and the European species, 

 A. alpinus, are very much alike ; differences, however, of sufficient importance occur to establish its specific 

 value ; the Eastern bird being much smaller than the European one, having the dark markings of the back 

 more conspicuous, and the feathers of the breast distinctly bordered with greyish white. 



The following is Professor Brandt's description : — 



" Le Musee de l'Academie contient une espece, tire"e dans l' Altai, voisine en quelque sorte de V Accentor alpirms, mais qui offre 

 aussi quelques marques communes avec V Accentor modularis, auquel elle ressemble par rapport a la grandeur. Je nommerai cette 

 espece Accentor altaicus. 



" Accentor altaicus, mihi. — Rostrum nigrum. Caput supra cum cervice griseum. Gense ejusdem coloris, sed albo fuscoque lon- 

 gitudinaliter striolatse. Gula alba, sparsim nigro fasciolata. Pectoris superioris partis pennee medio ferrugineae, albo limbatse, 

 inferioris cum pennis hypochondriorum, crissi et tectricibus caudse medio fuscee, ferrugineo parum imbutse albo limbatse. Abdomen 

 medio album. Tectrices alas inferiores albo et griseo fasciolatae. Dorsi superior pars ferruginea fusco-nigro maculata, ob pennas 

 medio fusco-nigras margine ferrugineas. Dorsi posterior pars grisea. Remiges primarise et rectrices fusco-nigricantes, margine 

 externo albo limbatce. A rostri apice ad caudse apicem 5" 3'". Rostri longitudo ad frontem 6'". Tarsi longitudo 1". Alse lon- 

 gitudo ab angulo humerali 3-^"." 



Head and "back of the neck grey, with a brown streak down each feather ; cheeks grey, longitudinally 

 striped with dusky white ; throat white, thinly fasciated with black ; feathers of the upper part of the breast 

 ferruginous, margined with white ; lower part of the body and flanks dusky, washed with ferruginous, and 

 edged with whitish ; centre of the abdomen white ; upper part of the body ferruginous, spotted with dusky, 

 or the feathers dusky black, bordered with ferruginous ; lower part of the back grey ; primaries and second- 

 aries brown, edged with pale brown ; tail dark brown, with a mark of buffy white at the tip of each feather ; 

 under tail-coverts dark brown, broadly margined with white ; bill brown, lighter at the base ; irides dark 

 brown ; legs light brown. 



The figures are of the natural size. 



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