6 A HAND -LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



PYRRHOCORAX PYRRHOCORAX 



12. Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (L.)— THE CHOUGH. 



UruPA Pyrrhocorax Linnreus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 118 (1758 — Coasts 

 of England and Egypt. Restricted typical locality : England). 

 Pyrrhocorax graculus* (nee Linnaeus) Yarrell, ii, p. 252 ; Saunders, p. 231. 



Distribution. — Great Britain. — Resident. Rapidly decreasing. 

 Breeds on parts of south-west coast of England ; some sea-cliffs 

 and a few places close to sea in Wales ; Isle of Man ; some 

 I. Hebrides (especially Islay and Jura), and one or two places on 

 mainland in south-west Scotland. Occurs sporadically elsewhere. 

 Ireland. — Resident on many sea-cliffs, especially in west, and some 

 inland cliffs, but decreasing. Absent from east coast. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Channel Islands, coasts of west France, 

 Alps, Spain, some Canary Islands, north-west Africa, Mediterranean 

 countries, Asia Minor, Syria, and mountains of central and north 

 Asia eastwards to China, southwards to Himalayas. 



[Note. — An example of the Alpine Chough, Pyrrhocorax graculus 

 (L.) nee auct., shot in Oxon in 1881, had probably escaped from captivity 

 (c/. Saunders, p. 232).] 



STURNUS VULGARIS 



13. Sturnus vulgaris vulgaris L. — THE STARLING. 



Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 167 (1758 — 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Sturnus vulgaris (Linnaeus), Yarrell, 11, p. 228 ; Saunders, p. 227. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Generally distributed. 

 Increased greatly during last fifty years or so, and has spread 

 northwards on Scottish mainland (has long been common Shet- 

 lands and Orkneys) and westwards on mainland Great Britain and 

 Ireland and in I. Hebrides, though has long been common (but 

 lately greatly increased) in 0. Hebrides and some western isles of 

 Ireland. In Ireland now nests every county, but still scarce some 

 districts, especially in parts of Cork and Kerry. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Our residents flock late summer 

 and some emigrate autumn and return Feb. and March. Vast 

 numbers arrive from central and north Europe on east coast Great 

 Britain from Sept. to Kov. ; some winter and some pass south ; 



* It is difficult to understand how this name came to be accepted 

 for the red-billed Chough, as the diagnosis says : " rostro pedibusque luteis." 

 On the other hand, the Upupa Pyrrhocorax of 1758 is undoubtedly the Chough, 

 the diagnosis being: " Upupa atra, rostro pedibusque rubris " ; in 1766, 

 however, Linnaeus, apparently having forgotten what he had already written 

 quite correctly — except for the genus — in 1758, gave mider the name of 

 Corvus Pyrrhocorax a mixture. — E.H. 



