XXXV 

 THE PIED STARLING 



WRITING of pied starlings [Sturnopastor 

 contra) Colonel Cunningham thus de- 

 Hvers himself : " They are not nearly 

 such attractive birds as the common 

 mynas, for their colouring is coarsely laid on in a way 

 that recalls that of certain of the ornithological inmates 

 of a Noah's Ark ; their heads have a debased look, 

 and they have neither the pleasant notes nor the 

 alluringly familiar ways of their relatives." The above 

 statement is, in my opinion, nothing short of libel. 

 There are few living things more charming than pied 

 mynas. These birds are clothed in black and white. 

 Now a black and white garment usually looks well 

 whether worn by a human being or an animal. In 

 the case of the pied myna, or ablak as the Indians 

 call it, the black and white are tastefully arranged. 

 The head, neck, upper breast, back, and tail are 

 glossy black, save for a large white patch on the 

 cheek, which extends as a narrow line to the 

 nape, a white oblique wing bar, and a white rump. 

 The lower parts are greyish white. The bill is yellow, 

 of deeper hue at the base than at the tip. I fail 



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