182. Mr. H. Seebohm on the Ornithology of Siberia. 
STURNUS VULGARIS, Linn. 
Mr. Kibort sent me three skins of the Kras-no-yarsk’ Star- 
ling. In the P. Z.S. 1878, p. 712, Dr. Finsch has described 
a new species of Starling from the Chinese High Altai as 
Sturnus poltaratskyi, and has incorrectly identified the skin I 
brought from the Yen-e-say’ with it. He appears to be right 
in advocating the distinctness of S. humii, Gould (fig. nec 
descript.), from S. nitens, Hume, which latter species was sub- 
sequently renamed (on the ground that the name S. nitens 
had previously been applied to the Common Starling by 
Brehm) S. ambiguus, Hume, and S. humii, Brooks.’ Finsch, 
however, is wrong in identifying his species with S. humii, 
Gould. After carefully examining all the skins in the British 
Museum and in Dresser’s and my own collections, I have 
come to the following conclusions :— 
Sturnus purpurascens, Gould, may at once be recognized 
by its bronze-purple scapulars and wing-coverts, which in the 
other species are green. The forehead and ear-coverts appear 
also to be always bronze-purple. The fore neck is always 
green, and the breast and belly purple, shading into bronze 
on the flanks. The remaining parts appear to be subject to 
variation. The crown, nape, and throat are usually mingled 
bronze and green, occasionally pure bronze, and occasionally 
pure green. The upper parts, from the hind neck downwards, 
are purple in some skins from Eastern Asia Minor, which 
may be taken as the extreme form. In others, however, from 
the same locality, and from the Altai mountains and North 
Persia, these parts are green, in which plumage they are the 
S. poltaratskyi of Finsch. In the same localities, however, 
in Asia Minor, in Yarkand, and in North-west India, every 
intermediate form occurs; so that the probability is that the 
difference is due to age or individual variation. Gould’s type 
is one of these intermediate forms. 
Sturnus vulgaris, Linn., may at once be recognized by its 
green scapulars and wing-coverts. The ear-coverts appear 
also to be always green. The fore neck is always a reddish 
purple, and the breast and belly green, shading mto bluish 
purple on the flanks. The crown, nape, and throat are sub- 
