56o 



PASSER I FORMES 



Most of the brighter species exhibit purple, coppery, bhie and 

 green reflexions, our familiar Starling (Sturnvs r ul(/ar'is) ' heing 



iridescent Ijlack, 

 with l)uff marks 

 above, and, after the 

 autumn moult, white 

 spots l)elow. 'J^he 

 female is duller, but 

 in this Family the 

 sexes usually differ 

 little. S. unicolor is 

 unspotted. Spodio- 

 2Dsar hurynanicus has 

 grey upper and 

 pinkish under parts, 

 with brownish 

 wings and tail, 

 white head, and 

 white - tipped rec- 

 trices; /^turnojMstor 

 contra is blackish- 

 brown and white 

 above, and greyisli 

 beneath, with 



green-black head 

 and throat and 

 white cheeks ; Pastor 

 ToseMS, which wanders to Britain, is glossy black, with pink back 

 and abdomen ; Graculijnca vielanojjtera is almost pure white, 

 with black or bronzy remiges and rectrices. JSulahes religiosa, 

 the Myna, — a name also popularly applied to Acridotheres (sacred 

 to the god Earn Deo) and several other Indian forms, — is black, 

 with purple and green reflexions, and a white patch on the wing- 

 quills ; CinnamojAerus tenuirostris is more highly coloured, with 

 mainly chestnut primaries ; Melano'pyrrhus orientalis adds to its 

 metallic black hue an orange head, neck, rump, and breast ; 

 Lamprotornis and the shorter-tailed Lamjyrocolius exhibit lovely 

 greens, purples, and peacock -blues, relieved by golden-bronze ; 

 Coccycolius is golden-green with purple cheeks and abdomen. 

 Pliolidauges leueof/aster is rich purplish-violet with white belly, 



Fig. 132. — Starling. Stia-nus vulgaris. 

 (From Englisli Illustrated Magazine.) 



