THE STARLINGS. 25 



latter inclining to steel-blue and steel-green ; wings variegated, 

 the quills black, with a spot of ashy grey just before the ends 

 of the inner primaries and secondaries, the secondary quills 

 with a steel-blue or green line just before the tip ; bill yellow ; 

 feet reddish brown ; iris light brown. Total length, 8 inches ; 

 culmen, ro; wing, 5*0; tail, 24; tarsus, i*i. 



Adult in Winter Plumage. — Similar to the summer plumage, but 

 entirely obscured by sandy buff tips to the feathers, so that the 

 colour, especially on the throat, can be traced only with diffi- 

 culty. The bill is brownish black at this season of the year. 



The female resembles the male in colour, but the gloss of 

 the plumage is never so brilliant. The sandy buff tips to the 

 feathers, which are lost in the male by being abraded and worn 

 off, never entirely disappear in the female, and are still to 

 be seen to a greater or less extent in the breeding bird. 



Young. — Entirely different from the adults, being almost 

 uniform brown or dove-colour, the breast and abdomen white, 

 streaked with brown. 



The intermediate form of Starling between our common 

 birds and the Siberian Starling (S. menzbieri) is figured on the 

 plate (PI. III., Fig. 2), and differs from the typical bird in 

 having the head and throat washed with purple, but the ear- 

 coverts green. In S. menzbieri the head, throat, and ear- coverts 

 are all purple. 



Range in Great Britain. — Almost universally distributed, and 

 of late years becoming common in parts of Scotland, where 

 it was formerly rare or unknown. Nor is this to be wondered 

 at, as the autumnal migration to our shores is enormous, and 

 for days together flocks of migrants pour into our eastern coasts. 



Range outside the British Islands. — Found everywhere in sum- 

 mer throughout Europe, but only occurring as a winter visitor 

 in the countries of the Mediterranean. Its eastern range ex- 

 tends as far as Egypt and Persia in winter, but in Central 

 Siberia it is replaced by Sturnus menzbieri. The range of 

 the intermediate form, if the latter be a true species, is not yet 

 determined. 



Habits. — The Starling is gregarious in the winter season, 

 and is generally to be found in the society of Rooks, with 



