476 Mr. R. Bowdlcr Sharpe on two 



quate to justify the abrupt dismissal of Dr. Hartlaub's conclu- 

 sions^ arrived at after the examination of at least thrice as 

 many specimens from our own collection^ in addition to such 

 as he may have had at his disposal from other quarters. All 

 tlie more inadequate does Mr. Sharpe's decision seem, when 

 we find him wholly ignoring other differentiating characters 

 duly pointed out by Dr. Ilartlaub, and accounting for the 

 discrepancy in tint by putting forth the suggestion that 

 Z. borbonica undergoes a seasonal change of plumage, tliough 

 he assigns no evidence in support of such a state of things, 

 which would be highly interesting if it w^ere proved to exist, 

 loth August, 1888. 



LI. — On two new Species of Starlings. 

 By R. BowDLER Sharpe, F.L.S. &c. 



The Oriental Starlings, such as S. cineraceus, S. sericeus, and 

 their allies, have usually been included in the genus Stumus, 

 or have fluctuated between Sturnia and Temenuchus. As a 

 matter of fact they do not belong to any of these genera. 

 The type of Sturnia of Lesson is S. sinensis, which has usually 

 been placed under Iletarornis of Gray, a genus which is long 

 posterior in date to Sturnia. The true Starlings [Stumus) 

 are remarkable for their flattened bill and the bare operculum 

 of the nostril. They have the wing long and pointed, thus 

 differing from Sturnopastor, which has, moreover^ a bare patch 

 behind the eye. 



In the grey-headed eastern group, for which I here pro- 

 pose the name of Poliopsar, the anterior plumelets of the 

 forehead are continued over the nasal membrane, and the 

 much more acute and narrow bill at once distinguishes these 

 birds from Stumus. 



The following species belong to my new genus : — 1. P. se- 

 riceus (Gm.); 2. P. cineraceus [Temm..) ; 3. P. colletti, Sharpe; 

 4. P. cambodianus, Sharpe; 5. P. burmanicus (Jerd.) ; 6. P. 

 leucocephalus (Gigl. & Salvad.) ; 7. P. andamanensis (Beavan) ; 

 8. P. erythropygius (Blyth) ; 9. P. malabaricus (Gm.) ; 10. P. 

 nemoricola (Jerd.) ; 11. P. blythi (Jerd.). 



