NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXV. 191S. 331 



obvious, but the fact of its being shorter cannot be denied if specimens in the 

 same state of plumage are judiciously compared. The bill is also on an average 

 smaller than in S. v. vulgaris. 



Sturnus vulgaris balcanicus But. & Harms. 



Siurnus balcanicus Buturlin & Harms, Orn. Jlonatsber. 1909. p. 56 (Rumania, north to the goTern- 

 ment of Cherson on the Dnjester, Bulgaria to the Maritza). 



Sharpe — and following him I and others — lumped the Rumanian Starlings 

 with 'purpurascens. 8. v. balcanicus is, however, a very distinct subspecies, 

 having purple ear-coverts, which are only very exceptionally greenish, generally 

 an entirely purple head, green hind-neck, but generally deep blue nape, green 

 upper back, green to purple-blue lower back and rump, but the upper tail- 

 coverts green with generally some bright purple shining tips. Edges to secon- 

 daries and upper wing-coverts, as well as those of the scapulars, bluish purple. 

 Throat purple or purple-bronze, jugulum green, breast and abdomen purple or 

 bluish purple, rarely A\ith much green admixture, sides more bronze. Under 

 ^\■ing-coverts as in <S'. v. vulgaris. Resembles greatly poltaratskyi, but the under 

 wing-coverts have narrower buS edges and are darker. 



Rumania to Dnjester. Guillemard shot a specimen in Cyprus. 



Sturnus vulgaris graecus Tschusi. 



Sturnus vulgaris graecus Tschusi, Om. Jahrb. 1905. p. 141 (Greece) ; cf. also Reiser, Ornis tSalcan. 

 iii. p. 242, where it is made clear that Tschusi alone is responsible for the name, not " Tschusi 

 and Reiser." 



Very different from <S'. v. balcanicus and nearest to S. v. .sophiae (jitkowi). 

 Head and neck purple, ear-coverts green to purple, outer edges to larger upper 

 wing-coverts and secondaries glossy purplish or dark violet. Back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts green, but on the upper back sometimes a reddish or purplish 

 tinge. Breast and abdomen green, sides more or less purplish, as in 8. v. vul- 

 garis. Differs from 8. v. sophiae by having more purple on the wings. 



Greece, nesting in Thessaly. (A specimen from Sarepta, in the Brehm 

 Collection, has also a great amount of purple on the wings, thus resembling 

 8. V. graecus). 



Sturnus vulgaris purpurascens Gould. 



Siurnus purpurascens Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 18G8. p. 219 (Erzerum). 



Dresser, Sharpe, and I mistook 8. v. balcanicus as well as some Indian and 

 Afghan Starlings for purpurascens. 8. v. purpurascens has the head and neck 

 metalhc green, the ear-coverts bronze to purple. The back is purple, but there 

 is always in the middle of the interscapular region a varying amount of violet 

 to steel-blue. Upper wing-coverts and edges to the secondaries bronze. Breast 

 purple, abdomen bronze, purplish along the middle. Under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries nearly black with brownish white, though not pure white, edges. 

 Wings of 19 specimens 129-138 mm. 



Inhabits Asia Minor and Armenia, exact boundaries not knciw n. Winters 

 in Asia Minor and, often in great numbers, on Cyprus, where also eaucrisicus 

 and sophiae occur in winter quarters. Has been found, though probably only 

 stray birds, in Greece, and occurs probably in Mesopotamia. 



