THE ROSE-COLOURED STARLING. 3^ 



Breeding-habits. — ^Breeds in colonies in most erratic way, 

 thousands of pairs appropriating suitable locality, breeding, and 

 deserting it again. Rocky ground covered with broken stones, 

 or ruins, preferred, but in default any kind of hole in old stone- 

 wall or in ground. Nest. — ^Untidy heap of twigs, straw, grasses 

 etc., lined roots, feathers, or any available material ; not infre- 

 quently hardly any nest. Eggs. — 3 to 8, most commonly 5 or 6, 

 rarely even 9 ; very pale bluish or bluish-white, with no markings ; 

 more glossy and paler than Starling's. Average of 80 eggs, 

 28.7 X 21 mm. Breeding-season. — ^Variable, sometimes not till 

 mid-June, at others early in May : probably dependent on food- 

 supply. Iticubation. — Period not known, probably under 14 days. 

 One brood. 



Food. — Orthoptera (locusts, grasshoppers, etc.) ; also coleoptera 

 and many other insects, and much frait (mulberries, cherries, 

 figs, etc.). British killed specimens fed chiefly on beetles, 

 gnats, worms, and fruit (mulberries, elderberries, currants, and 

 gooseberries). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Vagrant. Fairly frequent. 

 Recorded from many parts England, chiefly east side , but often 

 Devon and Cornwall ; seldom Wales ; often Scotland, but never 

 0. Hebrides ; about twenty-eight times Ireland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — South-east Europe, occasionally as far 

 west as Italy and Hungary, and in Asia from Asia Minor to 

 Turkestan ; common in winter in India. Wandering irregularly 

 far northwards, thus observed from time to time in nearly all parts 

 of Europe, exceptionally as far north as Lapland, Finland, east 

 Prussia, also Belgium and Holland. ' 



[Note. — Examples of the Red-\vinged Stabling, Agelaivs phosniceus 

 Linnseus, of North America have been taken in this country, but the recorded 

 examples had probably escaped from captivity. The same may be said 

 of Icterus galbula (Coracias Galbtda Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 108, 

 typ. loc, Carolina), also from America, which has been captured in Shetland, 

 and recorded under the name Icterus haltimore. Sturnella magna and 

 Scolecophagus carolinus (sub nomine S. ferrugineus) from North America 

 miast surely have escaped from captivity, and this is absolutely certain with 

 the Indian Mynah, Gracvla religiosa, from southern India and Ceylon.] 



Family ORIOLIDxE. 



Medium-sized bk'ds, the majority of species with much yellow 

 in plumage First primarv^ ^ell developed ; in Genus Oriolus 

 about half as long as second, third longest. Tail-feathers twelve, 

 primaries ten. Bill about as long as head, nostrils free of feathers, 

 upper portion covered with a membrane. Rictal bristles present, 

 but fine and short. Tarsus short. Sexes different ; young striped 

 below. Habits strictly arboreal. Numerous species in tropical 

 Africa and Asia to Austraha ; only one in Europe. 



