20 BRITISH BIRDS. 



PASTOR ROSEUS. 



ROSE-COLOURED STARLING. 



(PLATE 11.) 



Turdus merula rosea, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 250 (1760). 



Turdus roseus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 294 (1766); et auctorum plurimorum 



(Scopoli), Latham, Gmelin, (Bonaparte), (Temminck), (Demand fy Gerbe) 



(Salvadon), (Newton), (Dresser), &c. 



Sturnus roseus (Linn.), Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 130 (1769). 

 Turdus seleuciSj.J^ors/c^ Descr. Animal, p. vi. no. 16 (1776). 

 Sturnus asiaticus, Wirsingfide Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 344 (1790). 

 Pastor roseus (Linn.), Temm. Man. d'Orn. p. 83 (1815). 

 Psaroides roseus (Linn.), Vieill. Analyse, p. 42 (1816). 

 Merula rosea (Linn.), Koch, Syst. baier. Zool. p. 242 (1816). 

 Acridotheres roseus (Linn.), Ranz. Elementi di Zoolog. iii. pt. v. p. 177 (1823). 

 Gracula rosea (Linn.), Cuv. Regne Anim. i. p. 378 (1829). 

 Pastor peguanus, Less. Belanger's Voy. Ind. Orient., Zool. p. 268 (1834). 

 Pecuarius roseus (Linn.}, Temm. Man. d'Orn. iii. p. 76 (1835). 

 Thremmaphilus roseus (Linn.), Macgitt. Brit. B. i. p. 613 (1837). 

 Nomadites roseus (Linn.}, Petenir fide Bonap. Cat. Met. Uc. Eur. p. 44 (1842). 



Although this handsome bird has been often shot in our islands, it can 

 only be looked upon as an accidental visitor of frequent occurrence. The 

 Rose-coloured Starlings which reach our shores are principally birds of 

 the year on their first autumn migration, who have lost their way, and 

 have wandered into Western Europe instead of migrating eastwards into 

 India. Willughby and Ray were apparently unacquainted with the occa- 

 sional visits of this bird to our islands, and copy the account given of 

 it by Aldrovandus. The first British-killed example of which we have any 

 record was the one described by Edwards in 1743, which was killed at 

 Norwood, near London, and was figured in his ' Natural History ' (i. p. 20, 

 pi. xx.). He quaintly tells us that "we may see this bird very perfect, 

 curiously stuffed and set on a perch at Salterns coffee-house in Chelsea/' 

 It is unnecessary to enumerate the many examples that have since wan- 

 dered to our shores. It has occurred in almost every county of England, 

 principally in those bordering the east coast ; but examples have repeatedly 

 been obtained in the extreme west, in Wales, in Cornwall, and the Scilly 

 Isles. In Scotland, although it has not yet been noticed in the outer 

 islands, it appears to have occurred in almost every county from Wigtown- 

 shire to Sutherland in the west, and from the Orkneys and Shetland to 

 Berwickshire in the east. In Ireland the bird, although quite as un- 

 certain in its appearance as in England, has nevertheless been met with in 

 most parts of the country, even in the extreme western districts. Miiller 



