RED-WINGED STARLING. 93 



taught to repeat short phrases, or whistle tunes with great 

 exactness." 



The Red-winged Starling, fig. 1, is nine inches long, and 

 fourteen inches in extent; the general colour is a glossy black, 

 with the exception of the whole lesser wing coverts, the first or 

 lower row of which is of a reddish cream colour, the rest a rich 

 and splendid scarlet; legs and bill glossy brownish black; irides 

 hazel; bill cylindrical above, compressed at the sides, straight 

 running considerably up the forehead, where it is prominent, 

 rounding and flattish towards the tip, though sharp pointed; 

 tongue nearly as long as the bill, tapering and lacerated at the 

 end ; tail rounded, the two middle feathers also somewhat short- 

 er than those immediately adjoining. 



The female, fig. 2, is seven inches and a quarter in length, 

 and twelve inches in extent; chin a pale reddish cream; from 

 the nostril over the eye, and from the lower mandible run two 

 stripes of the same, speckled with black; from the posterior 

 angle of the eye backwards, a streak of brownish black covers 

 the auriculars; throat, and whole lower parts, thickly streaked 

 with black and white, the latter inclining to cream on the breast; 

 whole plumage above black, each feather bordered with pale 

 brown, white or bay, giving the bird a very mottled appear- 

 ance; lesser coverts the same; bill and legs as in the male. 



The young birds at first greatly resemble the female; but have 

 the plumage more broadly skirted with brown. The red, early 

 shows itself on the lesser wing-coverts of the males, at first 

 pale, inclining to orange, and partially disposed. The brown 

 continues to skirt the black plumage for a year or two, so that 

 it is rare to find an old male altogether destitute of some remains 

 of it; but the red is generally complete in breadth and brilliancy 

 by the succeeding spring. The females are entirely destitute 

 of that ornament. 



The flesh of these birds is but little esteemed, being in gene- 

 ral black, dry and tough. Strings of them are, however, fre- 

 quently seen exposed for sale in our markets. 





