EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. '231 



entirely composed of straws, arranged very evenly and smoothly, 

 but with a lot of straggling bents around them. 



The eggs are from four to seven in number, six being an 

 average clutch. They are slightly elongated and rough in grain, 

 but very highly polished, and are of a delicate greenish-blue 

 colour, sometimes of a very pale bluish-white. They vary in 

 length from 1'25 to 11 inch, and in breadth from 0'88 to O'SO 

 inch. 



THE ROSE-COLOURED STARLING. 

 {Pastor roseus.) 



Plate 54, Fig. 10. 



Although this handsome bird has been often shot in our islands, 

 it can only be looked upon as an accidental visitor of frequent 

 occurrence. It occurs irregularly on the Continent, but is found 

 more plentifully to the eastward in Central Asia and the Indian 

 Peninsula. 



The nests are roughly composed of small sticks, little branches, 

 straws, hay, grasses, and other dry herbs disposed in a shapeless 

 mass, with a limited hollow space in the middle to contain the 

 eggs, and irregularly lined with herbaceous fibres, leaves, mosses 

 and feathers. 



The eggs of this bird vary from five to seven in number, and 

 are so pale a grey in colour as to be scarcely distinguishable from 

 white ; they are very fine-grained, smooth and glossy, and vary in 

 length from 115 to 107 inch, and in breadth from 0"83 to 0'8 

 inch. 



THE RED-WINGED STARLING. 



{Agelceus phopniceus.) 



Plate 54, Fig. 18. 



This species — which is not a true Starling, but is a member 

 of the great American family of Icteridce, or Hang-nests — has 

 occurred in Great Britain so often that it is worthy of a place 

 in the British list, though doubtless many of the occurrences 

 were those of escaped birds. The same may be said of another 

 member of the family Icterida, the Rusty Grakle {Scolecophagus 

 ferrugineus) . 



