THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 225. 
ot 
(3) Sturnus vulgaris nobilior, Hume (Stray Feathers, 1879, p. 175— 
Kandahar). 
(4) Sturnus vulgaris subsp. ? 
(5) Sturnus vulgaris poltaratskyi, Vinsch. (P. Z.8., London, 1878, 
p. 713—L. Marka-Kaul. Altai). 
The Starling is an exceedingly abundant winter visitor to the plains arriving, 
pretty regularly in the last days of October (earliest record 16th), and continuing 
to arrive throughout most of November. Thus Pitman noted flocks going S. 
and &. E. on most mornings up to the 24th of the month in the Adhaim-Samarra 
area, and Cheesman saw flocks passing over Sheik Saad on November 9th. Many 
move off again by the end of February, and in the first part of March they ave 
quite scarce ; there are several records of small flocks moving north during the 
early part of this month and the latest date of any seen is the 23rd. 
They are of course most abundant where food supply is plentiful, such as round 
camps, mule lines, transport dumps, etc., and they have their regular feeding and. 
roosting places, the morning and evening flight between the two places being one 
of the noticeable ornithological features at Basra and elsewhere. Prodigious 
flocks are to be seen at times ; Evans records a flock exceeding 10,000 birds 
collecting at dusk near Amara. Hobkirk informs me that the Starling is as else- 
where a good imitator and he has heard it copying the note of the Pintailed 
Sand-grouse exactly. 
Many Starlings found their way into the pot during the seige of Kut and else- 
where during the war, and Cheesman relates an amusing story thereon. At 
Sheik Saad on one occasion when cartridges were at a premium, a shot “ into the 
brown ” brought down a dozen which were secretly handed to the cook. The 
word was given out to the Mess that a Quail pie was provided for dinner with loud 
acclamation ; unfortunately however on serving, the heads and bills were found 
protruding and the provider hastily changed his diagnosis to Snipe pudding, 
hoping all would be well ! all partook ofthe dish without demur, save the O. C., 
who said he had never eaten Woodpeckers yet and he was not going to begin now !! 
Thirty-five specimens examined : 
(1) Amara, 15-2-18, 3-4-18, 7-11-1 (two), 15-2-18 (three), 4-12-17,. 
27-1-18 (P. A. B.); Basra, 19-12-18 (Armstrong); Samarra, 4-12-17, 
21-12-17 (three); Kut, 4-1-17, 25-11-16 (C. R. P.); Sheik Saad, 
13-12-16, 3-3-17 (P. Z.C. ) and R. E.C.) ; Suleimania, 12-11-19 (Ross); 
Shustar, 3-2-18 (F. M. B.); Basra, 21-11-17 (five) (C. B. T.). 
(2) Amara, 26-2-18 (P. A. B.); Amara, 15-2-18, 4-2-18 (P. Z. C. and R. 
E. C.); 8. Saad, 18-12-17 (Robinson). 
(3) Shaik Saad, 23-12-17, 20-12-17 (Robinson); Kut n. d. (Keary). 
(4) 3 Amara, 26-2-18 (P. A. B.); Shustar, 3-2-18 (F. M. B.). 
(1) It is evident from the above numbers that vulgaris is far the commonest 
Starling of Mesopotamia. An east-Russian form has been described—sophie of 
Bianchi (=jitkowi, Buturlin) differing from the typical race by having more 
purplish colour on crown and throat and it is this form which has been recorded 
in winter in the Talysh, Palestine, Egypt, etc. (Hartert Novit. Zool. 25, p. 
329) and which might be expected to occur in Mesopotamia. I have examined 
a very large number of these eastern Starlings and a great many Starlings from 
western Europe, and in my opinion the differences are too trivial and far too 
inconstant to warrant the separation of sophie. A great many English Starlings 
have purple heads and not green ones, and several breeding Swedish birds 
(topo-types of vulgaris vulgaris) have purple heads, while two birds from 
Moscow and Voronesh, which should have purple heads, have green ones f 
I believe that the older and more worn the typical race becomes, the greener 
is the head. I can find no constant difference between the two. This 
“‘race ” sophie extends as far east as Shiraz in winter. 
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