362 STURNID^E. 



coverts dark brown, nearly black ; the primaries basally white, and their 

 coverts margined and tipped with white ; first primary pale brown, very short ; 

 second twice its length, and a third shorter than the third ; secondaries white, 

 dark brown on the middle of each feather, the dark brown broadest on the 

 first secondary of the sixth quill, and decreasing obliquely in extent on the next 

 and following, towards their bases, till on the last it forms a small spot ; 

 tertiaries fulvescent, broadly shaded in the middle along the shaft with dusky, 

 and all with obsolete dusky transverse barrings ; wing coverts pale brown, 

 edged with fulvescent ; edge of the wing and under wing coverts white ; 

 tail dark brown, graduated ; the centre feathers fulvescent, shaded with dusky 

 or pale earthy brown, the outermost on each side margined on the outer web 

 and tipped white, the next very narrowly margined and tipped whitish, and 

 the rest with very faint margins of fulvescent, and all with obsolete dusky 

 transverse barrings. Bill horny, darker on the ridge and yellowish white at the 

 base of the lower mandible; irides brown ; legs china white. 



Length. 9 to ii inches; wing 5 to 5-45 ; tail 3-75 to 4*2 ; bill at front n to 



1*2. 



Hab. S.-E. Europe, N. Africa, Arabia, Sind, Punjab, N.-W. Provinces, 

 Beloochistan, Persia and Afghanistan. Inhabits desert places and sandy 

 tracts. 



Tristram has an interesting account of this species in Vol. i. of the " Ibis," 

 p. 527. It runs with great rapidity and is never found congregated in flocks. 

 Mr. Hume (S. F. i. 216) says "they never apparently fly if left undisturbed, 

 but run about with their little porcelain white legs twinkling in the sunlight, 

 hither and thither, for all the world like miniature coursers." Tristram 

 however says " he has watched it in the early morning, rise perpendicularly 

 to some elevation, and then suddenly drop, repeating these gambols uninter- 

 ruptedly over exactly the same spot for nearly an hour. Except in this there 

 is nothing of the lark in its flight." 



SECTION. OSCINES CULTIROSTRES. 

 Family. STURNID^:. STARLINGS. 



Bill straight or very slightly curved, rather long pointed and compressed, 

 often angulated at the base, the tip entire or slightly notched ; wings long and 

 pointed ; tail moderate ; tarsus strong ; nostrils on each side covered with 

 feathers. They walk freely on the ground, fly well, are gregarious, and 

 live on fruit, insects, grain, and some on the ordure of cattle. They nidificate 

 under the eaves of roofs or in holes of trees. Some arc intelligent and are 

 caged, and taught to utter long and amusing sentences. The Indian species 

 may be said to be divided into Starlings and Mynahs ; Glossy Mynahs or 

 Grakles. 



