Vil STURNIDAE 561 
the female being brown and buff above, and whitish below with 
dusky striations; Calornis and Aplonis are usually dullish green ; 
while the extinct Fregi/upus varius was ashy-brown, grey, and 
white. alculia is white with blue-black back, wings, and tail. 
It frequents trees or streams, and utters plaintive, melodious 
notes. Buphaga is dull-brown, with fulvous rump and lower 
surface. The bill is commonly black throughout the group, but 
is sometimes red, pinkish, bluish, greenish, orange, or yellow: 
the feet also vary in colour. Albinos are rather frequent. 
This Family occupies almost all the Old World, but not 
America proper, though Sturnus vulgaris has strayed to Greenland ; 
the headquarters lie in the Indian and Ethiopian Regions, wherein 
several forms have a very restricted distribution. Instances of this 
are Charitornis of the Sula Islands, Scisstrostrum, Enodes, and 
Streplocitta of Celebes, Hugiopsar of the Dead Sea and Sinaitic 
districts, Hartlaubius and Falculia of Madagascar, Sarcops of the 
Philippines, Iino of Papuasia, Welanopyrrhus and Macruropsar 
of New Guinea and its islands, Aplonis of the Pacific and the 
Tenimber group. = regilupus, of which only a few examples exist 
in collections, was confined to Reunion, Necropsar is an extinct 
form from Rodriguez.  Ca/ornis alone inhabits Australia. 
Lamprotornis, Spodiopsar, and the Eulabetidae in general, rarely 
leave the trees they haunt; on the other hand, some forms, as 
our Starling, spend much time upon the ground, or roost in huge 
flocks on shrubs, reeds, and the like. The habits are wary, and 
seldom as sociable as those of our British species, hills being often 
preferred to more wooded districts or the neighbourhood of houses. 
Aethiopsar reaches an altitude of seven thousand feet. The flight 
is strong, straight, and rapid, though heavier in Luphaga ; while 
flocks of Starlings turn, sweep along, and gyrate in remarkable 
fashion, and soaring is not uncommon. The more terrestrial forms 
walk and run excellently, often stopping suddenly to probe the soil 
for worms or larvae, which, with insects generally, and molluscs, 
provide the chief sustenance. A large amount of fruit is also con- 
sumed, including berries and seeds; frogs and, as some say, callow 
nesthngs are also devoured; Pastor, Dilophus, and Acridotheres 
destroy locusts; Hulabes and its allies prefer vegetable food ; 
Buphaga is termed Ox-pecker or Rhinoceros-bird, from clearing 
ticks off those animals. Certain species disgorge nutriment for 
their young. The voice is commonly varied and pleasing, becoming 
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