85 
Genus Pastor. 3 
The birds of this form, which are almost peculiar to. the European, 
African, and Asiatic portions of the globe, are at once interesting 
and useful,—interesting on account of their beauty, and useful from 
the good they effect in the countries they frequent by the destruc- 
tion of the locusts and other insects and their larve, upon which 
they feed. 
TSieetAston Roses ee Wl Meo orl) 88 4 so Vo NTE PLE 
Rossr-coLtourEeD PAstor. 
SGer ASTOR mosmEs 6420 3M a A wr ea) WolLTEL. PLEVEL 
Rosr-cotourep Pastor (young). 
A beautiful but unusually-coloured bird, which is very plentiful 
in Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Western India. It is merely 
an accidental visitor to England, Scotland, and [reland. . 
Family ICTERID. 
This is a purely American family, comprising considerably more 
than a hundred species, which are spread over the continent of 
America and the approximate islands. Two of them have from time 
to time wandered far from their native homes and sought a haven. 
in the British Islands. 
Genus AGELAIUS. 
Of this section of Icterine birds about five species are known, the 
habitats of which are almost exclusively confined to the temperate 
and northern parts of the American continent., 
187. AGELAIUS PHENICEUS.. 
Red-winged Starling. 
Nine instances are on record of the occurrence of this species in 
Britain, namely seven in England and two in Scotland. The earliest 
of these appears to be the one mentioned as having been taken near 
London, by Albin, in his ‘ History of British Birds,’ published in 
1731-38, after which the bird seems to have remained unnoticed 
until the year 1843, between which date and 1871 eight others are 
described as having been met with im various parts of the country. 
The late Mr. Yarrell figured this transatlantic species in the supple- 
ment to his ‘ History of British Birds,’ to which work, as well as 
those ef Wilson and Audubon, I must refer my readers for its his- 
tory ; for, as I do not consider the bird pertains. to, our fauna, I have 
not included a figure of it in this work. 
Genus SruRNELLA. 
A peculiar group of grass-loving birds, strictly confined to America, 
over which country the five known species are distributed. 
