STARLING. 17 



always be socii, no matter how hard the frost; but the great majority of 

 birtlH retreat before it. 



In this country the Starling may be fairly considered a resident bird ; 

 but there is no doubt that it receives large additions to its numbers from 

 Northern l']uru|)e every season. It is also a well-known bird at Heligo- 

 land, and pasHCN that isolated rock yearly on its migrations. Flocks of 

 Starlings are also believed to cross over from the south-west of Scotland 

 to Irchmd, where, as ])r(!viouHly stated, the bird is best known as a winter 

 visitor. On our coasts during the period of migration the Starling is 

 often secti at llic lighthouscjs, and numbers |)cri8h by dashing against 

 the lantern, dazzled by its glare. 



Tlio adult male Starling in full breeding- plumage is a very handsome 

 bird. Almost all the Htaall feathers are dark metallic purple or green, 

 tli(),s(! on the upper parts hciow the: nape having arrow-shaped buff' tips, 

 most conspicuous on the sides of tlu; rump, hut almost obsolete on the 

 centre ol" the back. The underparts are unspotted, but the under tail- 

 coverts have broiul hull' edges. The; wingH and tail-feathers are brown, 

 wil.li broad glossy black margins. The distribution of th(! purjile and 

 green on the siiiail leathers is subject to some variation; but generally 

 the i;ntire head cx(,'<;|)t the ear-coverts, the nape, upper breast and upper 

 back, and the ilanks arc jmrplo — the ear-covertH, .seajmlarH, lower back, 

 rump and upper tail-coverts, the lower breast, and belly being green; but 

 by alt(;ring the position in whieli the bird is held, green rellcetions to a 

 limited cxtc^it may often be seen on the purple i'eaiherB and |)urple re- 

 flections on the green ones. I'ixampli^s, however, occur, ev(^u in the British 

 Islands, in whieli this distribution o I! colour is exactly reversed, except that 

 tlu; grcjatcr and median wing-eoverts always show some green reflections. 

 The wing-eoverts occasionally show bluish-purple I'cflections, but a)'(! never 

 iridesecuit bronze like those of S. purpurascem. There seems to be no 

 n^usou to sup[)()so that any of tiiesc variations in the colour ol' the plumage 

 arc produced by interbreeding with the latter spcu'ies, as tlu^y appear to 

 occur irr'espeetive of geographical distribution. The Stai'ling's bill is lemon- 

 yellow; legs and I'eet I'eddish brown; irich^s liazi^l. AI't(U' the antunui 

 nu)ult, tlu! bird |)re8ents quite; a <liircr(;ut app(;arancc. All the metallic 

 colours ol'the phiuuig(; are hall' concealed, ia eons(;([U(;uce of each feather 

 ol' the ui)pc;i' parts having a bull' lip and those ol' the underparts a white 

 tip, whilst the wing and tail-l'(;atherH luive; bull' margbis ; the bill has 

 ehaug(;d to dark brown. As the sjiring approaches, tlu;se nuu'gins arc 

 almost entirely east from the head of the male, and usually eonipletcly so 

 from the uiulc;rparts. The fcnude somewhat closely resembles the male ; 

 but tlu; tints are usually not so pui'ple, the spots are much larger and do 

 not abrade so luueh, and the long hackle-like I'eathers on the throat are less 

 dc;v(;lopcd. In the female the bill is yellow, tipi)ed with blackish brown. 



VOL. 11. 



