I84 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



groups, being about 26 miles distant from either are 

 regarded as puzzling. Of the four adults examined, he 

 finds that " some have bills as in zetlandicus, others as 

 in vulgaris, also the wings vary, measuring ? 126-5, 

 $ 128, (^ 137, c? 131- Of the four young in full juvenile 

 plumage one is of the darkest colour (as dark as young 

 faroensis and zetlandicus), another as light as young vulgaris^ 

 the two others darker than usual vulgaris but not quite so 

 deeply coloured as the first ; three more are in full moult 

 and difficult to judge, but evidently rather dark, though not of 

 the darkest type. One must therefore say that these birds are 

 on the whole intermediate between v?ilgaris and zetlandicusr 



The St Kilda Starlings examined were " most of them 

 in moult, and I could only measure four with confidence 

 which have wings from 127 to 135 mm., while the bills vary 

 as in the Fair Isle specimens, as does also the first primary. 

 I have not seen specimens in full juvenile dress, but the 

 head, neck, and part of the back in a moulting one appear 

 to be dark, as in the intermediate Fair Isle ones. Therefore 

 it seems that here, too, we have not yet a fixed race, possibly 

 for similar reasons as on Fair Isle, i.e. comparatively recent 

 immigration." They were first mentioned as natives of 

 St Kilda in 1758. 



Racial forms which are based upon bill and wing 

 measurements which overlap those of other races are un- 

 satisfactory in one important respect, namely, that should 

 they occur beyond their patria it would be impossible 

 to distinguish them from individuals of other forms which 

 present similar dimensions. In this connection it may 

 be mentioned that the measurements of the wings of 

 53 Starlings killed at the Eddystone lighthouse on the 

 night of I2th/i3th October 1901 ranged from 123 to no 

 less than 136-5 mm., and thus the largest closely approached 

 the maximum dimensions of Dr Hartert's Shetland race, and 

 far exceeded the same author's measurements of the typical 

 bird ; yet one would hesitate to claim that we had here 

 evidence in favour of zetlandicus being, even occasionally, 

 a migratory bird. Nor should too much importance be 

 awarded to the dark colour of the first plumage the only 



