382 JOURNAL, BOMB AY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



deep green ; rump and upper tail coverts belly and flanks bronze-green ; 

 upper wing coverts bronze-green to bluish green ; pectoral band of copper 

 red is continuous with the throat and passes to the green underparts. 

 Underwing coverts blackish-brown with narrow whitish edges. Outer-edge 

 of primaries often whitish. Wings shorter than in the other races except 

 minor, 119 — 125 mm. 



In the first winter plumage I think this race is more heavily spotted 

 with white than in any other race. 



Type locality, Kashmir. Breeds in the Himalayas from Kashmir to Nepal 

 and in the N. W. Punjab. Spreads out to the plains of the Punjab in 

 winter and has been obtained at Dinapore, Etawah and in Sind. (Gates) 

 (see under dresseri). 



7. Sturnus vulgaris minor, Hume. The Small Indian Starling. 



This is a most interesting and very distinct little Starling ; the whole 

 head, throat and ear coverts green ; whole of the rest of the upper parts 

 including the wing coverts red purple ; no distinct pectoral band, the 

 green of the throat joining the purple breast which shades ofl' to green on 

 the belly and flanks. Under tail coverts purple. 



The wing is shorter than in any other race and measures 110-118 mm. 



Not only does this bird look smaller than the other Starlings but it 

 acquires the yellow hill of the breeding season long before the other winter 

 visitant Starlings do. 



The bill too is slightly smaller than in most of the other races but is 

 about the same as in small females of poltaratskyi ; the tarsi and toes are 

 slightly smaller. 



Type locality, Larkhana in Sind. It is said to be strictly resident and 

 breed in the eastern Narra district of Sind from about Rohri southwards 

 and to extent east as far as Etawah. This last locality is added on the 

 strength of three birds which Brooks shot at Loyah near Etawah on Janua- 

 ry 13th, 1872, but I think that this race is not a normal inhabitant of that 

 district. Excluding island races of Starlings, minor is the most local and 

 limited in distribution of all and very few Ornithologists have ever met 

 with it. Judging from the accounts of the earlier writers — Hume, Brooks 

 and Doig, &c. — this bird inhabits the canal system of Sind in or near culti- 

 vation where " kandi " (Prosopis spiciyera) jungle abouiids in which trees it 

 nests, and a few miles from such canals you may search for it in vain ; even 

 in suitable places it seems to be very local. Considering then its extremely 

 local distribution, it seems very unlikely that this bird should extend 

 normally as far east as Etawah from which it is cut off by the vast Sind- 

 Rajputana desert, and I think it probably that in very dry years in Sind 

 it may migrate in winter partly or wholly and so reach eastwards to such 

 localities, 



8. Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris, Linnoeus. The Common European Starling. 

 Not mentioned in the " Fauna " and has not as yet occurred in India. 



Head and throat purple, in very old birds, however, it is more or less 

 green ; ear coverts always green. Scapulars, rump and upper tail coverts 

 green ; mantle green but always with a purple bronze shimmer, wing coverts 

 green, violet-blue on the longer feather, breast and belly green, flanks 

 " blue-bottle " blue, under tail coverts green. Under wing coverts brown 

 with wide pale rusty brown edges. 



Type locality, Sweden. Breeds in Europe, except in Faertie and Azores 

 (where it replaced by island forms) and in S. E. Europe, where it replaced 

 by other forms. 



Sturnus vulgaris sophiae has been described by Bianchi. Apparently it 

 only differs from vulgaris vulgaris by having more purplish colour on the head 



