THE ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR, 213 



THE ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR, 



(Thremmaphilns roseus.} 

 PLATE XIV. FIGURE I. 



THIS beautiful bird, which is sometimes called the Rose-coloured 

 Starling, Ouzel, Thrush, or Cow-bird, is but a rare and accidental 

 visitor to the British Isles; its true home is in Africa and the warmer 

 parts of Asia. In India it appears to be particularly abundant. Colonel 

 Sykes, in his "Catalogue of the Birds of the Dukkun," says, "These 

 birds darken the air by their numbers, at the period of the ripening 

 of the bread grains in December. Forty or fifty have been killed at 

 a shot. They prove a calamity to the husbandman, as they are as 

 destructive as locusts, and not much less numerous." From Africa 

 the Pastors migrate with tolerable regularity into Italy, Spain, and 

 the south of France; a few individuals also find their way into Russia, 

 Siberia, Lapland, and Sweden. Of the specimens that have been 

 obtained in this country, one of the first was killed at Norwood, in 

 Surrey. About thirty others are recorded to have been taken, several 

 of them in Ireland, and two in Scotland. 



In its habits this bird closely resembles the Common Starling; 

 usually moving from place to place in large flocks, and flying with 

 rapidity. Its food consists chiefly of insects, in search of which it 

 frequently perches on the backs of sheep and cattle. At Aleppo it is 

 held sacred because it feeds on the destructive locust. It is also 

 partial to fruit, and is accordingly met with in gardens. A specimen 

 shot in July, 1836, was in the act of feeding on cherries in a nursery 

 garden near Swansea. 



These birds are by no means shy, and will admit of a very close 

 approach, especially when perched on the trees. When thus placed 

 they have a most beautiful appearance, as they sit very close together, 

 and look like masses of red flowers. Their common note is harsh and 

 unmusical, but they have a rich and agreeable song. 



They build in holes in trees, and in cavities in old walls or among 



