fifth feathers nearly equal in length, but the fifth rather the
longest.
Females resemble the males, but are a little more spotted
on the head, breast, and belly.
The young before their first moult have the throat greyish
white, varied with small darker-coloured spots, and the general
colour of the plumage of the other parts darker.
This species is subject to varieties in colour. A specimen
sent me by the Rev. Dr. Thackeray has the head, neck,
body, and wing-coverts dull white, varied with a few markings
of the natural brown ; the wing and tail-feathers pure
white ; beak and legs flesh colour. A specimen sent me by
the Rev. Robert Holdsworth from Brixham was of a nearly
uniform reddish buff colour; and I have seen several others.
The figure on the left hand in the vignette below represents
the foot of the Accentor alpinus; the right hand figure
is taken from the breast-bone of Accentor modularise as an
illustration of the generic form of the sternum.
INSESSORES.
DEN TIROSTRES.
SY LV IADM .
TH E REDBREAST.
Sylvia rubecula,
Mdtacilla ,,
Sylvia „
Erythaca ,,
Sylvia ,,
Erythaca ,,
Sylvia ,,
The Redbreast, P enn. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p. 502.
Montagu, Ornith. Diet.
B ewick, Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 240.
F lem. Brit. An. p. 68.
Selby, Brit. Ornith. vol. i. p. 188.
J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 103.
Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. xiv.
V » , a. d’Ormth vnl. 1.
E rythaca. Generic Characters.—Beak rather broad and depressed at the
base, becoming narrower towards the point, and slightly compressed; upper
n §1