STARE. 9 



A.— Sturnus Loyca, Inch Om. i. 325. Molin. Chil. 225. Id. (fr. ed.) 233. Gm. Lin. i. 



304. Daud. ii. 305. 

 Chili Starling, Shaw's Zool. x. 4S8. 



This is rather larger than our Starling, but resembles it in the 

 bill, tongue, legs, and tail, as well as manner of feeding. The male 

 is in general of a dull grey, marked with spots of white, except the 

 throat, which is scarlet. 



The female is paler in general colour, and the red on the breast 

 less bright than in the male. 



Inhabits Chili : makes a careless nest on the ground, in the first 

 hole it can find, and lays three grey eggs marked with brown. The 

 bird is esteemed for its song, and is often kept tame ; when at large 

 it sings while rising upwards in the air, and the same when descend- 

 ing, after the manner of some of the Lark Genus. 



Molina adds, that the Indians have a superstitious veneration for 

 these birds, and make use of the red feathers in their plumes. 



This is probably a Variety of the Magellanic Starling. 



6— PERSIAN STARE. 



Sturnus moritanicus, Ind. Om. i. 325. Gm. Lin. i. 804. S. G. Gmel. Id. iv. 174. 



Pall. 71. nord. Beytr. iv. 52. Daud. ii. 302. 

 Persian Stare, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 174. Skaiv's Zool. x. 490. 



SIZE of a Lark. Bill black at the tip; irides red; plumage 

 ash-coloured ; under part of the head and throat varied with cine- 

 rous and white; belly and sides greyish white, marked sparingly 

 with pale rufous spots ; breast, and neck before, like the upper parts ; 

 wings brown margined with grey, and reach to the middle of the 

 tail, the feathers brown, the outer margin grey ; the two middle tail 



VOL. V. C 



