Family 8TUENID^. 



STURNUS VULGARIS, Linnseus. 



COMMON STARLING. 



Sturnus vulgaris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 290 (1766) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds 

 Brit. Mus. xiii, p. 27; Malherbe, Cat. Rais. d'Ois. Alg. p. 9 (1846); 

 Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. i, p. 124 (1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 171 ; 

 id. J.J. 0. 1892, p. 370; Wliitaker, Ibis, 1894, p. 94 ; Erlanger, J.f. 0. 

 1899, p. 487. 



Description. — Adult male, early spring, from Tunis, North Tunisia. 



Greater part of the plumage black, glossed with metallic reflections, 

 purple predominating on the head, neck and upper breast, and green on the 

 other parts of the body ; interscapulary region with a shght bronze gloss, 

 and flanks with purple-blue reflections ; back and wing-coverts spotted with 

 triangular whitish-buff spots ; wings and tail-feathers blackish-brown, fringed 

 with black and buff ; crissum and under tail-coverts black, with broad white 

 margins. 



Iris dark hazel ; bill yellow ; feet reddish-brown. 



Total length 8 inches, wing 5, culmen 1'05, tarsus 1-20. 



Adult female similar to the male, but duller in colouring. 



Young birds are of a dull greyish-brown above, and whitish below. 



The winter plumage is duller, and thickly spotted all over with dirty 

 white. The bill at that season is black, and the feet are darker in colour 

 than they are in the spring. 



Observations. — The plumage of the common Starling varies somewhat 

 in colour, even in individuals from the same locality, and I have in my 

 collection from Tunis specimens answering fairly well to Dr. Sharpe's 

 description of S. menzhieri (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xiii, p. 33), while others, 

 also from Tunis, resemble more S. poltaratzskyi (Pinsch) (Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 1878, p. 712). These examples, however, can hardly be separated from 

 S. vulgaris, L. S. poltaratzskyi occurs in the island of Cyprus, whence 

 I have examples, and it may possibly find its way as far west as Tunis. 



Mr. Dresser's " Supplement to the Birds of Europe" (vol. ix, p. 233) 

 contains some interesting notes on the Western Palaearctic Starlings, and 



1 VOL. II 



