BIRD ADVENTURERS 217 



a failure or not ; it certainly was if the stranger 

 ducks wanted to find new winter quarters. 



India is the winter home of one of the 

 greatest of bird adventurers, the beautiful 

 starling which is called in our bird books the 

 rosy pastor, and sometimes comes to Britain 

 and gets shot and stuffed as usual. Many of 

 you may have seen it in a museum or collection 

 of British birds ; it is like no other bird either 

 here or anywhere else about the size of our 

 starling, but with a long silky crest, and 

 plumage pied like a magpie's, only the light 

 parts, instead of being white, are a lovely 

 salmon pink. Sometimes the bird is brought 

 over alive and kept in aviaries ; but in con- 

 finement the lovely rosy tint of the feathers 

 changes to a dirty cream-colour, although the 

 bird remains healthy and jolly. He is really 

 one of the j oiliest birds in the world ; always 

 on the move, fighting and squabbling with his 

 companions and singing his song, which is a 

 most unmusical chattering. Rosy pastors, 

 although they are always quarrelling, are 

 sociable all the same, and always go about in 

 flocks ; and if one gets separated from his 

 companions he chums up with a flock of 



