Glossy Starlings 791 



beautiful species is the Shining Starling (C. or L. metallica) of northern Australia 

 and the island groups to the northward, which has much of bright reddish 

 purple on head and mantle, and brilliant, glossy green in the form of a neck 

 collar. It is a stationary, gregarious species, usually seen in small flocks in 

 the scrubs and more open forests, flying much after the manner of the English 

 Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and like that species making a chattering noise 

 while on the wing. Its food consists apparently entirely of seed, fruits, and 

 other vegetable matter. They nest in colonies, using the same tree season after 

 season, and constructing a large, pendent nest some two feet in length and one 

 in breadth, somewhat oval in shape, slightly compressed and rounded both 

 below and above, when it tapers to a neck, where it is attached to the branch; 

 the nest is composed of long tendrils of a climbing plant and lined with finer 

 pieces of the same or strips of palm leaves. The entrance hole, which is often 

 hooded, is in the center of the widest part; the two or three eggs are bluish or 

 greenish white, spotted and blotched with brown and dull purple. The nest- 

 ing tree selected is often one of gigantic size standing alone, and frequently has 

 its branches literally hung with these pensile nests, so closely placed in fact 

 that they often touch. One at Cape York observed by Mr. Barnard contained 

 296 nests, and many others containing nearly as many have been recorded. 

 The birds go about in flocks even when collecting building material, and the 

 noise created about a nesting tree is said to be almost deafening. The only 

 Indian species (C. or L. chalybeus), according to Mr. Gates, " breeds in holes 

 of trees, in the recesses of old bridges and buildings, in holes in banks of rivers, 

 and in the tops of palm trees," and lays usually three eggs. 



African Glossy Starlings. With an account of two genera of African Glossy 

 Starlings we may appropriately close our notice of this group. They are very 

 beautiful, trimly built birds with brilliantly glossy plumage in which there are 

 hues of resplendent green, purple, violet, lilac, and coppery. The two genera 

 are separated largely on the length and shape of the tail, this in Lamprotornis 

 being long and graduated, whence they are called the Long-tailed Glossy 

 Starlings, while in Lamprocolius the tail is short and square. Ranging through- 

 out practically the whole of the continent, they are all gregarious birds, going 

 about in small or sometimes vast flocks and feeding upon both vegetable and 

 animal substances. They keep mainly to the tops of the highest forest trees 

 and have a direct, rapid flight; their notes are described as rather harsh and 

 unmelodious. Their nests are usually placed in holes in trees, though some 

 build a cup-shaped nest in the branches of trees; the four to six eggs are greenish 

 blue and much spotted. 



Burchell's Glossy Starling. One of the most beautiful members of the 

 long-tailed group is Burchell's Glossy Starling (Lamprotornis australis) of South- 

 east Africa. It is about fourteen inches long and has the plumage of a bright 

 resplendent green, with the ear-coverts and a half collar of violet-purple. Mr. 

 Andersson found it abundant in certain portions of Damara Land, passing most 

 of its time in the high trees, though occasionally descending to the ground in 

 search of insects, which with berries constitute its principal food. He found 



