STURM A. 527 



Coloration. Head, neck, and upper breast pure white ; back and 

 scapulars grey ; rump and upper tail-coverts rufous grey ; wing- 

 coverts brown, edged with grey ; primaries black, tipped with grey ; 

 remaining quills black, broadly edged with grey; middle pair of 

 tail-feathers hoary grey, narrowly tipped with chestnut, the others 

 more and more tipped with chestnut, the outermost feather being 

 chestnut on fully the terminal half; lower plumage cinnamon- 

 rufous ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale ashy white. 



The young bird is plain brown above and paler brown beneath ; 

 tail marked with chestnut as in the adult. 



Iris greyish white ; legs and feet brownish olive ; bill blue at 

 base, greenish in the middle, yellow at tip (Batter). 



Length about 8*5 ; tail 2'7 ; wing 4 ; tarsus '95 ; bill from 

 gape 1. 



Butler is of opinion that the female of this species differs from 

 the male. The only sexed females in the British-Museum series 

 certainly have brown heads, and so far differ from the males, but 

 one of these female specimens is acquiring pure white feathers on 

 the forehead ; and I am consequently of opinion that the sexes 

 are alike when fully adult, and that Butler failed to secure any adult 

 females. I know of no instance amongst the Starlings of the sexes 

 being strikingly different. 



Distribution. Southern India, and apparently a local migrant. 

 Butler obtained this species near Belgaum from June to October, 

 Davison in the Wyuaacl in May, and Bourdillon in Travancore in 

 March. It does not appear to be found above about 2000 feet of 

 elevation. It extends east as far as Manjarabad in Mysore. 



Habits, <$fc. Breeds in Mysore in April. The eggs measure 

 about 1 by '71. 



538. Sturnia malabarica. The Grey-headed Myna. 



Turdus malabaricus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 816 (1788). 



Sturnia malabarica (Gm.), Blyth, Cat. p. 110; Hume, Cat. no. 688; 



Oates, B. B. i, p. 387; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 256; Oates in 



Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. i, p. 372. 

 Temenuchus malabaricus (Gm.), Horsf. 8f M. Cat. ii, p. 530; Jerd. 



B. I. ii, p. 330 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 433 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., 



Aves, p. 596. 

 Poliopsar malabaricus (Gm.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 48. 



Pawl, Hind. ; Desi-pawi, Beng. ; Pali-palisa, Tel. ; Kat-halik, Assam. 



Fig. 156. Head of S. malabarica. 

 Coloration. Forehead and the feathers over the eye whitisli ; 



