8 STARE. 



5 —MAGELLANIC STARE. 



Sturnus railitaris, Ind. Orn. i. 323. Lin. Mant. 1771. 527. Gm. Lin. i. 80S. Daud. 



ii. 305. 

 Etoumeau des Terres magellaniques, Buf. iii. 196. PI. enl. 113. 

 LeTroupiale a gorge essanglantee, Voy. d' Azara, iii. No. 68. 69. 

 Magellanic Stare, Gen. Syn. iii. p. 7. Id. Sup. ii. 174. Shaw's Zool. x. 488. 



LENGTH eight inches and a half. Size of a Starling; bill one 

 inch and a quarter long ; plumage on the upper parts of the body 

 brown, the feathers margined with paler brown ; from the bill to 

 the eye a crimson line ; at the base of the under mandible a white 

 spot ; behind the eye a white streak ; on each side of the neck a bed 

 of black, dividing the brown on the hind from the fore part of the 

 neck ; which, as well as the chin, breast, and upper part of the belly, 

 is of a fine deep crimson; the shoulder of the wing is of the same 

 colour, as well as the outer edge of it ; beneath the wings and thighs 

 black, edged with ash-colour ; vent, under tail coverts, and the 

 whole of the tail black; the last a trifle forked ; legs brown. 



In some birds the white spot at the base of the under mandible is 

 wanting, and in such, the white line begins at the nostrils, and 

 passes over the eyes a good way behind. 



Inhabits Falkland Islands, and is supposed, for the most part, to 

 frequent the ground, rather than perch on trees; for one of them 

 being kept in a cage, was never observed to sit upon the perch, 

 always keeping at the bottom ; and the bird seemed to be fond of 

 all kinds of insects, which were supposed to be the natural food. 

 M. d'Azara says, they are very numerous between 35 and 36 deg. 

 of lat. and that they frequently alight on fields of newly sown corn, 

 and if not prevented will devour the whole. 



