The MENINTING (_Enicurus Leschenhaulti_, or _Enicurus coronatus_) is
black upon the upper part of the body, neck, and breast, and white upon
the crest and under side; the black wings are decorated with a broad
white stripe, the outer tail-feathers are pure white, the rest black,
broadly tipped with white; the beak is black, and the foot yellow. The
length of the body is about ten or eleven inches. The Meninting is
an inhabitant of the Malay Islands, where it frequents the mountain
regions, and is usually met with near shallow lakes or streams, at an
elevation of from sixteen hundred to four thousand feet above the sea.
Bernstein tells us that he saw one of these birds on the Pangerango, at
an altitude of ten thousand feet, but this must be regarded as a very
unusual occurrence. In disposition this species is gentle and timid, but,
if unmolested, will allow a stranger to approach without testifying any
alarm, merely flitting a few paces farther off should the intruder come
too near the spot on which it is perched. When excited the Meninting
raises its crest, repeatedly jerks its closed tail upwards, and then,
spreading it like a fan, slowly lowers it. Its voice resembles that of
the White Wagtail. The nest, which is invariably placed upon the ground
at no great distance from water, is frequently made in a small hollow in
the earth, this being lined with moss, upon which a layer of half-decayed
leaves is arranged to form an elastic bed for the young family. The eggs
are of a dull greenish or yellowish white, thickly marked with faint red,
yellow, or light brown spots; these often form a wreath at the broad
end. We have never found more than two eggs in a nest. The young are
tended with great devotion by their parents, who, should danger be at
hand, frequently betray the presence of their brood by uttering a gentle,
long-sustained note of distress. The Meninting subsists upon worms and
insects, seeking its food amongst the plants that border its favourite
streams. It is very partial to water, and frequently wades therein when
pursuing its prey.
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The ACCENTORS (_Accentores_) may be regarded as forming the connecting
link between the true Singing Birds and the strong-beaked granivorous
races, more especially the Larks. They are recognisable by their
powerful body, moderate-sized or long wing, in which the third or
fourth quill exceeds the rest in length, as also by their short, broad
tail, strong foot, armed with powerful toes, and much-curved claws.
The conical awl-shaped beak turns inwards at its margins, and the
nostrils are covered with a skin; the plumage is lax, and formed of
feathers of a relatively large size; the sexes are alike in appearance,
but the coloration of the young differs considerably from that of the
adult birds. Only two species of Accentors can properly be regarded as
European, the rest inhabit Asia, and are generally seen hopping over
the ground or flying very low, in search of the insects, berries, or
delicate seeds upon which they subsist; they never frequent lofty trees,
or even tall shrubs, except during the breeding season, when the males
occasionally perch upon low branches, whilst pouring out their, in most
cases, very agreeable song. As winter approaches some species wander
southward, while others merely quit the bleakest and most exposed peaks
for their rocky fastnesses. Incubation takes place early in the spring,
and two broods are generally produced in the course of the summer. Their
nests are carefully and neatly built of moss and hay, and lined with some
soft and elastic materials. The eggs, from three to six in number, are of
greenish hue.
[Illustration: THE MENINTING (_Enicurus coronatus_).]
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The HEDGE SPARROWS, or HEDGE WARBLERS (_Tharraleus_, or _Accentor_), have
a slender body, a comparatively weak and pointed beak, short, rounded
wings, in which the fourth quill is the longest, a moderate-sized tail,
straight or incised at its extremity, and a high foot.