I 5 i8 THE PERCHING BIRDS 



young usually fly about the end of May; many pairs rearing two broods of young in 

 a season. Some birds nest in the recesses of sea caves in company with rock doves 

 and black guillemots; others rear their broods in the interior of old stone walls; 

 while others again inhabit and enlarge the burrows of sand martins in some perpen- 

 dicular cliff; by far the greater number nest, however, about human habitations. In 

 some districts the fledged young gather together in dense flocks as early as July, and 

 with the advance of autumn young and old congregate at their favorite roosts in 

 prodigious numbers, feeding during the day in widely-different localities, but flock- 

 ing together at their favorite rendezvous before nightfall. Myriads of starlings 

 migrate along the British coasts in spring and autumn; hence their presence at one 

 or other of our lighthouses is frequently the subject of remark. Many individuals 

 bred in Northern Britain winter in the midland counties, frequenting half-flooded 

 meadows and other attractive haunts. 



The male in summer has the plumage black brilliantly shot with purple green 

 and steel blue; the feathers of the nape and upper parts generally being tipped with 

 buff in the form of triangular spots. Professor Newton points out that after, the 

 autumnal molt the starling is profusely spotted with buff, especially on the lower 

 parts, but in the spring many of these spots become obsolete. The plumage of the 

 young is a dull brownish gray. 



In Southern Europe the spotted starling of the British Isles is re- 

 ing placed by the black or Sardinian starling (S. unicolor), which is abun- 

 dant in some parts of Spain and Portugal. Mr. Tait says that it is very common in. 

 the interior of Portugal, and that it is a very restless bird, often seen flying up and 

 down in small flocks. Although some individuals reside in the Peninsula all 

 through the year, the bulk of the black starlings, which breed in Spain, appear to 

 pass the winter in Algeria, where they feed upon the fruit of the date palms. This 

 starling nests both under the eaves of outhouses and also in crevices of rocks. Its 

 nesting habits are said to be identical with those of the common starling, and the 

 egg is of a similar pale blue color. The black starling has the entire plumage black, 

 glossed with purple, without any spots whatever; the smaller feathers being very 

 long and tapering. It is shown in the lower figure of the illustration on p. 1517. 



The single representative of the genus Pastor differs from the true 

 starlings in having the head furnished with a long and conspicuous 

 crest, reaching to the upper part of the back. One of the most beau- 

 tiful of European birds, the rose-colored starling (P. roseus] , has its winter home 

 in India, from which country it is, however, absent during the breeding season. 

 Occasionally wandering as far north as the west of Scotland, this bird is very 

 erratic in its habits, and many years have passed since it has been seen in any 

 considerable numbers in the British Islands. In the summer of 1875, vast num- 

 bers visited Villa Franca; a small flock making its appearance on June 3d, and 

 alighting on the high ruined walls within the castle, and being followed in about 

 half an hour by another flock of about one hundred. In a short time many people 

 assembled at the places, and soon witnessed another sight, for toward evening ap- 

 peared many thousands of these starlings, which, joining with first comers, stopped 

 there till dusk, when they dispersed in numerous troops over the open country. On 



