1. STUENU8. 



37 



Subsp. a. Sturnus caucasicus. 



Sturnus sp., Blanf. East. Persia, ii. p. 267 (187G) 

 Sturnus vulgaris (nee L.), Radde, Orn. Cauc. p. 147 (1884 nt ) 

 bturnus purpm-ascens, Seebohm, Ibis, 18S5 p 8 



Sturnus caucasicus, Lorenz, Beitr. Orn. Faun. Cauc. p. 9, Taf. v. fi- 1 

 (1887) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1888, p. 439. 



Adult male. Similar to ,S'. poltoratzsUi, hut with the head and 

 throat dark green, the hiud neck purple ; wing-coverts dark steel- 

 green, externaUy glossed with purple ; scapulars dark steel-green • 

 wing-coverts rich purple ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 green ; flanks purplish red. Total length S-5 inches, culmen 1-2, 

 wing 5-25, tail 2-7, tarsus 1-2. 



_ Adult female. Similar to the male, but with the colours not so 

 vm^d. Total length 8 inches, culmen 1-2, wing 5, tail 2-5, tarsus 



Hub. Prom the Caucasus to Persia. 



a, b S ad ; c, d. Kisslovodsk, N. Caucasus, Purchased 



2 ad. sk. May 18. 



e,/. Ad. sk. Kisslovodsk, N. Caucasus, St. Petersburg Museum 



March 2, 1886. [p ] 



f ? ad- sk- Caucasus, April 2, 1888. Warsaw Mus. rP-l. 



h. d ad.sk. JajiPuid Valley, ElburzMts., W. T. Blanford, Esq. 



N, Persia, Aug. 0, 1872. [C.]. 



4, Sturnus purpurascens. 



Sturnus purpurascens, Gould, F. Z. S. 1868, p. 219; id. B Asia v 

 pi. 44 (18/ Oj ; Graxj, Iland-l. B. ii. p. 22, no. 6311 (1870) ; Dreiser 

 B.Eur. IV. p. 419 (1880, nee fig.); Dmif. Ibis, 1878, p. 2-1 ; Fin.ch 

 MittJi. z.-b Gesellsch. Wien, xxxix. p. 202 (1879) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 

 iobo, p. 440. ' 



Adult male. Similar to S. vidyaris, but having the scapulars 

 reddish purple like the lower back and rump, these parts slightly 

 washed with steel-blue; mantle and back green; wing-coverts 

 reddish purple; head and throat purple: flanks bronzy purple. 

 Total length 8-5 inches, culmen 1-1, wing 5-4, tail 2-55, tarsus 1-2.* 



One of the Gouldian specimens from Trebizond has the head 

 green, as well as the throat. It is in winter plumage, and Mr. 

 Gould considers it to be " young." Wing 5-1. 



Hah. Prom the Dobrudscha, in Eastern Europe ; Cyprus ; through- 

 out Asia Minor to Afgliauistan, and occasionally appearing in the 

 plains of India. ° 



a, b, c. Juv. sk. Dobrudscha, June 6, Aug. 16, E. B. Sharpe Esq 



[PI. 



d. J ad. sk. Famagusta, Cyprus, Feb. 25, 1888 Lord Lilford [P.]. 



(H. Gudlcmard). 



e. $ ad. sk. Monastir, C^-prus, Oct. 7, 1878 ( W. Lord Lilford fP.!. 



Pearce). -" 



