STtJRNUS VULGARIS* 



STARLING. 



Generic CHARAGtER. 



Bill ftraight. 

 Tongue cleft. 



Legs ftrong, covered with a few large fcales. 

 Toes three forward, one backward, the centre conneQed 

 to the outer one as far as the firft joint. 



Synonyms. 



SxtJRNtJs VULGARIS. Lin. Syft. i. p-. 290. 1. Ind* 



Om, 1. p. 321, 1. 

 Starling. Br. Zool. 1. 104. idf. 46. Ib.fol. tab. P. 2. 



fig. 1. Ar£i. Zool. 2. ^. 331. ^. Lath. 



Syn. p. 2. Ik Supt. p. 137. Mont, 



Orn. Vol. 2. Bewick's Britijh 



Birds, Ft. 1. p. HQ. 



T HIS Bird is about nine inches in length and thirteen in 

 breadth, and weighs nearly three ounces and a half ; bill 

 fliarp, an inch and a quarter long ; gape extending beyond 

 the eye ; irides light hazel ; tail fliort, compofed of twelve 

 feathers ; legs and claws ftrong. Colours alike in both fexes. 



The Starling is common in moft parts of this country, it is 

 gregarious, affociating in immenfe numbers with rooks, crow&^ 

 or pigeons ; like them it reforts to new fown land, where it 

 deftroys large quantities of worms and grubs, feeds alfo on 

 grain and moft kinds of infe6ls ; whilft on the ground it fre- 

 quently utters a ftirill whiftle ; it does not hop, but runs on 

 the ground in the manner of the Lark genus^ 



It 



