The ALPINE ACCENTOR (_Accentor Alpinus_) represents a group of birds in
appearance very closely resembling the Larks. Their beak is slightly
curved and pointed, compressed at its sides, narrow towards its
extremity, and broader than it is high at the base; the legs are stout,
the toes thick, and the claws much hooked, but blunt; the wings, in
which the third quill exceeds the rest in length, are long; the tail is
short, and deeply incised; the upper portion of the body is deep grey,
spotted with brown, the under side ash-grey, marked at the sides with
reddish brown; the throat is white, slightly spotted with brown; the
quills and tail-feathers are blackish brown, the latter spotted with
white; the wings are ornamented with two white lines. Both sexes are
alike in colour. The young are grey, spotted with reddish yellow; black
on the back, and reddish yellow, chequered with light and dark grey, on
the under side; the wing-feathers are brown, edged with rust-red, and
the wings enlivened by two reddish yellow stripes. The tail is brown,
and also tipped with reddish yellow; the eye is light brown, the beak
yellow at the base and black at the tip; the foot is brown. This species
is seven inches long and eleven and three-quarters broad; the wing
measures three inches and three-quarters, and the tail two inches and
three-quarters; the female is half an inch shorter, and three-quarters of
an inch narrower than her mate.
These birds inhabit all the lofty mountains of Central and Southern
Europe and Southern Asia, and are particularly numerous upon the Alps,
where they are generally met with at an altitude of from 4,000 to 6,000
feet above the sea. They are also occasional visitors to the south of
Great Britain. In winter they usually descend to the plains and valleys
in search of seeds, but return to their favourite haunts as soon as the
snow has melted from the surface of the rocks; they are then to be seen
running lightly or flying from one peak to another, as they pour out
their clear, melodious song, many notes of which will bear comparison
with those of the Lark itself. Their disposition appears to be somewhat
capricious; at one time they are all life and activity, at another
perfectly quiescent. Gloger explains this peculiarity by telling us
that they are only brisk and lively while searching for food, and that
their change of demeanour is attributable to the process of digestion
that is being carried on as they sit erect and motionless often for
a whole half hour at a time. While hopping on the ground the Alpine
Acceptor carries its tail slightly elevated, sometimes so high as to be
raised above the wings. The flight of these birds is light and rapid,
and capable of being sustained for a very considerable distance; but,
under ordinary circumstances, they keep near the ground, and only soar
into the air during the breeding season. Towards man they exhibit the
utmost confidence, and are frequently to be seen hopping about close to
a party of mountaineers or group of shepherds, quite indifferent to and
apparently almost unconscious of the voices and movements around them.
Insects, spiders, seeds, and berries constitute their principal food, and
they devour grass seed, in particular, in great quantities. The nest,
according to Schinz, is commenced early in the spring, and is situated in
clefts or holes of the rock, or amid Alpine rose bushes; sometimes on the
roofs of houses, care being generally taken that the little structure is
so placed as to be completely sheltered from wind and weather. The nest,
which is circular and semi-conical, is three inches both in diameter and
in depth; it is constructed alternately of grass and moss, and lined
with wool, hair, or similar materials. The eggs, from four to five in
number, are of an oval shape, smooth, and of a blueish green. It is at
present undecided whether the female is assisted by her mate in the work
of incubation. Two broods are produced in the year, the first in May, the
second in July.
[Illustration: THE ALPINE ACCENTOR (_Accentor Alpinus_).]
* * * * *
The TITS (_Pari_), although differing in many respects, resemble each
other in most essential particulars. All are of small size, with compact
bodies and short limbs. The beak is conical, straight, and short, with
sharp margins, compressed at its sides and pointed at its tip; the
feet are sturdy, the toes powerful and of moderate size, and the claws
comparatively large and very much hooked. The wings, in which the fourth
or fifth quill is the longest, are short and rounded; the tail short, and
either straight or very slightly incised at its extremity; occasionally
it is very long, and graduated at its sides. The plumage, which is thick,
and composed of long and lax feathers, is bright and elegant in its
coloration.
Most members of this family inhabit the northern parts of the Eastern
Hemisphere, some few belong to North America, and others are natives
of Asia and Africa. Opinions differ as to whether they migrate at the
approach of winter, but our own observations have convinced us that even
those frequenting northern countries never wander to any great distance
from their native haunts. All are social in their habits, and consort not
only with their own kind, but also seek the company of other species,
often remaining in their society for weeks at a time. They seldom visit
seed-growing districts, but frequent woods and forests, living almost
exclusively upon trees or large shrubs, climbing and flying about the
branches in what may literally be termed an incessant search for food.
On the ground their movements are clumsy, and they seldom undertake long
excursions, but generally only flit from one tree to another, feeding
principally upon insects and seeds; of the former they devour enormous
quantities, as their life of restless activity renders an unusually large
supply of nourishment indispensable. The Tits may, therefore, be regarded
as valuable assistants to the gardener and farmer, richly meriting their
favour and protection. Most species breed twice in the year, laying each
time from seven to twelve eggs.
* * * * *
The CRESTED WRENS or KINGLETS (_Regulus_) are recognisable by their
straight, thin, finely-pointed beak, which is broad at the base, raised
at the culmen, and slightly notched at the curved tip of the upper
mandible. The feet are slender, the tarsi high, and the claws very
decidedly hooked; the wings, in which the fourth and fifth quills are
the longest, are short, broad, and much rounded; the tail is of medium
size, and incised at its extremity; the plumage is thick, and composed
of large, loose feathers; the nostrils are covered with small feathers,
and the corners of the mouth with a few bristle-like hairs; the feathers
on the crown of the head are generally prolonged into a crest, and are
of brilliant hue. These birds are met with throughout Europe, Asia,
and North America, and from time to time make their appearance in
North-western Africa.
Their journeys are extraordinary when compared with their strength, size,
and powers of flight, but they are often exhausted before arriving at
their destination. Mr. Selby has related the following account of a large
migration on the coast of Northumberland in 1822:--
"On the 24th and 25th of October, 1822, after a very severe gale, with
thick fog from the north-east (but veering, towards its conclusion,
to the east and south-east), thousands of these birds were seen to
arrive upon the sea-shore and sand-banks of the Northumbrian coast,
many of them so fatigued by the length of their journey, or perhaps
by the unfavourable shift of wind, as to be unable to rise again from
the ground, and great numbers were in consequence caught or destroyed.
This flight must have been immensely numerous, as its extent was traced
through the whole length of the coasts of Northumberland and Durham.
There appears little doubt of this having been a migration from the more
northern provinces of Europe (probably furnished by the pine forests
of Norway, Sweden, &c.), from the circumstance of its arrival being
simultaneous with that of large flights of the Woodcock, Fieldfare, and
Redwing. Although I had never before witnessed the actual arrival of the
Golden-crested Regulus, I had long felt convinced, from the great and
sudden increase of the species during the autumnal and hiemal months,
that our indigenous birds must be augmented by a body of strangers, who
make these shores their winter resort."