GLOSSY STARLINGS AND CRACKLES 



1523 



darker portion of the plumage being shot with a coppery lustre. This bird is dis- 

 tributed over the whole of Central Africa, and extends northward into Abyssinia 

 and Western Arabia. A truly arboreal species, it is found both on the plains and 

 in the mountains, generally associating in parties of from six to twenty individuals; 

 its general habits being very similar to those of the other members of the group. 





The Crackles 

 or Hill 



Mynas 



THE SUPERB GLOSSY STARLING. 



Not to be confounded with the true mynas, mentioned later on, the 

 grackles, or hill mynas of India and the adjacent regions are birds of 

 glossy black plumage, easily distinguished by the presence of fleshy 

 yellow or orange wattles on the head. The beak is thick, high, 

 curved, and shorter than the head; while the feathers of the crown are short and 

 inwardly curved, with a kind of parting down the middle of the head; the wing 

 being rather blunt, the tail short and nearly squared, and the foot strong. 



The southern grackle (Eulabes religiosd), of Southern India and Ceylon may be 

 taken as a well-known example of the genus; and is distinguished from the others 

 by having bare skin on the sides of the neck, and two long patches on the neck. 

 Its whole plumage is glossy black, with the exception of a patch of white at the 

 base of most of the primaries; the wattles are naked, being rich yellow, the beak 



