SARDINIAN STARLING. slay 
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, haying 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 
Starlmg. After the second moult, and during the 
winter it has small whitish spots on the feathers, which, 
howeyer, 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 Abyssinica,) which 
was killed near Glasgow a year or two ago. Mr. 
