35 



Foreign Names: Bohemia: Spacek. Demnark: 8taer, Star. Finland: 

 MustakoUarainen. France: Etourneau. Germany: Oemeiner Star or Sprehe. 

 Holland: Spreeuiv. Helgoland: Sprien. Hungary: Seregely. Italy: Storno. 

 Norway: Staer, Star. F oland: Szpak skorsec. Fortngal: Estorninho. Russia: 

 Skvoretz. Sweden: Star, Starr, Staer. Spain: Estornino. 



Sturnus vulgaris L. Newton, ed. Yarrell, H, p. 228; Dresser, Birds 

 of Europe, IV, p. 405; Saunders, Manual, p. 227; Dresser, Man. Pal. Birds, 

 p. 399. S. vulgaris vulgaris L. Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 41. 



Breeding Range: Europe from the North Cape, but absent from 

 Lapland, northern Sweden, E. Finland and the Archangel Government; and 

 replaced by other forms in the Iberian and Balkan peninsulas and S. Russia. 



Here the Starling is a resident, and not a bird of passage as on the British 

 greater part of the Continent. It is now generally distributed throughout ^^^^s* 

 England and Wales, except on the bare moorlands and mountain tops, and 

 in some parts is extraordinarily plentiful. In Northumberland, Cumberland, 

 Wales and Cornwall it was formerly only a winter visitor, but within the 

 last 40 years has become established as a breeding species. The history 

 of its distribution in Scotland is remarkable. It appears to have been a 

 resident in the Shetlands and Orkneys for a century or more; in the Outer 

 Hebrides it was abundant in 1841, and in St. Kilda in 1830. The main- 

 land appears to have been gradually colonized by migratory waves from 

 two distinct sources; firstly from the northern isles in a S. W. direction, 

 and secondly from the south (See Annals of Scott. Nat. Hist. 1895, p. 2 

 and 92). In the Isle of Man it is common, and in Ireland it now breeds 

 in every county, though still scarce in summer in Donegal, Kerry, W. Cork, 

 Waterford and Wexford (Ussher). 



In Norway this species has increased its ranffe northward of late ^°^' 



. " . tinental 



years and was observed at Vardo by Pearson in 1903, but as yet is only Europe. 

 thinly distributed in the extreme north, and is still absent from northern 

 Sweden, Gobel also records it from N. W. Russian Lapland, but it is not 

 known in N. E. Finland, though v. Wright says it occurs near Ule&borg. 

 In the Archangel Government it was not observed at Archangel by Harvie- 

 Brown or on the Petschora by Seebohm, and is stiU rare north of lat. 

 60° to 64°. Over the rest of Europe it is generally distributed except in 

 certain districts, such as Montenegro, while in S. Russia and the Balkan 

 peninsula it is replaced by S. v. purpiirascens Gould, S. v. caucasicus Lor., 

 S. V. tauricus But., etc. On the other hand it is found throughout Italy,- 

 with the exception of Calabria; but in Sicily and Sardinia its place is taken 

 by S. unicolor Temm., and it is only known as a winter visitor to Corsica 

 and the Iberian peninsula. 



The nesting sites of this species are very varied. Where there is Nest. 

 plenty of old timber, a hole in a tree is perhaps the most favoured spot, 



3* 



