PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 105 



The female differs in having the metallic hues less conspicuous, and in that the 

 abrasion of the brown and white tips to the feathers is less complete, while the 

 beak never attains the full yellow colour of the male. The juvenile plumage differs 

 conspicuously from that of the adult, being of a greyish-brown colour, darker on the 

 flanks and fore-breast, while the throat and abdomen are white. After the autumn 

 moult they resemble the adults, but the metallic lustre is much less developed ; 

 further, the head has dull purple instead of intense dark green reflections, and the 

 feathers of this region and on the throat are not lanceolate, [w. p. p.] 



2. Distribution. Opinions are much divided as to what races of this 

 widely distributed species should be recognised. It breeds in the Faeroes, the 

 British Isles, and the whole of the European continent, except the Iberian peninsula 

 (to which it is only a winter visitor) and South Italy, as well as a great part of 

 Western Asia. Dr. Sharpe recognised two forms in the British Isles, the green- 

 headed (S. indgaris) and the purple-headed (S. menzbieri), but these distinctions 

 seem to have no geographical significance. On the other hand, the Fseroese, 

 Azorean, Caucasian, Crimean and Balkan races seem to be well grounded, and 

 several races are found in Western Asia. In the British Isles it is a resident species, 

 now very generally distributed throughout England and Wales, although formerly 

 only known as a rare visitor in winter to the most northern counties (Northumber- 

 land and Cumberland), some parts of Wales, and the Devonian peninsula. The 

 history of its distribution in Scotland has been carefully studied by Mr. J. A. Harvie- 

 Brown in the Annals of Scottish Natural History, 1895, pp. 2, 92. From this paper 

 it is evident that colonies have existed for nearly a century in the Shetlands and 

 Orkneys, and that it was abundant in the Outer Hebrides in 1841. From these 

 stations waves of migratory birds have colonised the adjoining territories, meeting 

 other waves which have gradually worked then 1 way upward from the south. It is 

 plentiful in the Isle of Man and has increased its range in Ireland, where Ussher 

 states that it now breeds in every county, though still scarce in Donegal, Kerry, 

 West Cork, Waterford, and Wexford. On the Continent it is only a summer 

 visitor to the northern part of its breeding range, wintering in Southern Europe 

 and North Africa, but in the southern part it is resident and only subject to local 

 movements. [F. c. B. J.] 



3. Migration. The British migrations of our starlings have been worked out 

 in great detail by Mr. Eagle Clarke in the Report of the British Association, 1903, 

 pp. 291-298. They are as follows : (1) Movements of our breeding birds. As early as 

 June flocks of the young broods may be seen (see p. 132). These lead a roving life, 



VOL. II. O 



