SARDINIAN STARLING. 157 



The Sardinian Starling was discovered by Marmora, 

 and described by him in the "Memoirs of the Academy 

 of Turin," for August, 1819. Since then it has been 

 found in Algeria, and it is known to pass the winter 

 in company with the Common Starling on the African 

 coast of the Mediterranean, which is contrary to the 

 opinion expressed by Marmora at the time he wrote 

 his memoir. 



It is easily distinguished from the Common Starling 

 by the specific characters at the head of this notice. 

 The males have the drooping feathers from the neck 

 longer than the female. 



According to Temminck it is found in Sardinia 

 among the rocks, where it builds, and it flies about 

 and rests on the houses like its congener. 



Its food and mode of building is exactly the same 

 as the Common Starling. 



The male and female are entirely black, without 

 spots, having a reflection of purple, but less so in the 

 female. The base of the beak is blackish, with a 

 yellowish tip. Feet yellowish brown. 



The young before the first moult are of a grey 

 brown, always darker than the young of the Common 

 Starling. After the second moult, and during the 

 winter it has small whitish spots on the feathers, which, 

 however, disappear in the spring without a double 

 moult. 



I may take this opportunity of observing that Mr. 

 Small, a bird-stuffer and naturalist, of George Street, 

 Edinburgh, has in his possession a male specimen of 

 the Abyssinian Roller, ( Coracias dbijssinica,) which 

 was killed near Glasgow a year or two ago. Mr. 



