ACCENTOR ALTAICUS, Brandt.

Altaian Accentor.

Accentor altaicus, Brandt, Bull. des Acad. des Sci. de St. Pétersb., 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.
——— HMimalayanus, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xi. Pasa
vartegatus, Blyth, Journ. of Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xii. p. 958.—Ib. 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.
Hast Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 359.

 

Tuar the bird here represented—the Accentor variegatus of Mr. Blyth—is identical with the 4. altaicus of
M. Brandt I have little doubt, since the description given by the latter naturalist precisely accords with the
Indian bird. Like the 4. 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 Kast India Company’s Museum are from Nepal, while those in the
Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta are from Sikkim.

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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 :—

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‘‘Le Musée de l’Académie contient une espéce, tirée dans |’Altai, voisine en quelque sorte de |’ Accentor alpinus, mais qui offre
aussi quelques marques communes avec |’ Accentor modularis, auquel elle ressemble par rapport & la grandeur. Je nommerai cette

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espéce Accentor altaicus.

« Accentor altaicus, mihi.—Rostrum nigrum. Caput supra cum cervice griseum. Genz ejusdem coloris, sed albo fuscoque lon-
gitudinaliter striolate. Gula alba, sparsim nigro fasciolata. Pectoris superioris partis penne medio ferruginez, albo limbate,
inferioris cum pennis hypochondriorum, crissi et tectricibus caude medio fuscze, ferrugineo parum imbutz albo limbatz. Abdomen
medio album. Tectrices ale inferiores albo et griseo fasciolate. Dorsi superior pars ferruginea fusco-nigro maculata, ob pennas
medio fusco-nigras margine ferrugineas. Dorsi posterior pars grisea. Remiges primari et rectrices fusco-nigricantes, margine
externo albo limbate. A rostri apice ad caude apicem 5” 3”. Rostri longitudo ad frontem 6". Tarsi longitudo 1”. Alee lon-
gitudo ab angulo humerali 34.”

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 tints breast
ferruginous, margined with white; lower part of the body and flanks dusky, washed with fennugmious: and
edged with whitish ; centre of the abdomen white ; upper part of the body ferruginous, PTouieg with dusky,
or the feathers dusky black, bordered with ferruginous ; lower part of the back Suey ee 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.