STARLING. 



493 



same, and prettily speckled on the light part ; the tertials correspond 

 with the lower order of scapulars, which have their margins chestnut, 

 with small dusky lines and spots ; the tail is short, and in colour 

 similar to the tertials ; the wing's, when closed, do not reach to the end 

 of the tail ; the legs are three inches and three-quarters in length from 

 the heel to the knee ; the toes long and slender, the middle one, in- 

 cluding the claw, which is three-quarters of an inch in length, and pec- 

 tinated on the inner side, is as long as the leg ; the claws are not much 

 hooked, but the hind one most so, and by far the longest ; their colour 

 dusky brown ; the colour of the legs, and bare space above the knee, 

 (which last is about an inch,) appears to have been greenish. 



At the time Colonel George disposed of his collection, this bird was 

 marked in the catalogue Ardea minuta, and was purchased for Colonel 

 Montagu as such. Thus an extremely rare and unknown bird in 

 England, and apparently a nondescript, was rescued by accident from 

 oblivion. 



The astonishment of Colonel Montagu was very considerable at 

 receiving this bird for the boonk, to which it is no ways allied 

 either in size or colour. It is in its general appearance more like the 

 common bittern, but not much more than half the size, and the plumage 

 altogether much darker, and the markings extremely different ; but we 

 are not surprised that a sportsman should be mistaken in supposing it 

 to be the common bittern, if he had not before noticed the very superior 

 size of that species.* 



SQUAUK DUCK.— A name for the Bimaculated Duck. 



STANNEL.— A name for the Kestril. 



STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris, Linnjeus.) 



•Sturnus vulgaris, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 290. \.—Gmel Syst. 1. p. 801. — Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. 1. p. 321. 1.— Ruii, Syn. p. 67. A. 1.— Will. p. 144. t. 37.— Briss. 2. p. 



439. 1.— Ib. 8vo. 1. p. 280 — Ftem. Br. Anim. p. 86 Sturnus varius, Meyer, 



Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 208 L'Etourneau, Buff. Ois. 3. p. 176. t. 15.— Tb. 



pi. Etil. 75. — L'Etourneau vulgaire, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 132. — L'Etour- 

 neau Commun, Cuv. Reg. Anim. 1. p. 395. — Gemeiner Star. Bechst. Naturg. 

 Deut. 3. p. 816.— Frisch, Vog. t. 217.— Stare or Starling, Br.Zool. 1. No. 104. 



t. 46 Arct. Zool. 2. p. 331. A.—Lewin's Br. Birds, 2. t. 56.— Lath. Syn. 3. 



p. 2.— Ib. Supp. p. 137.— Will. (Angl.) p. 196. t. 37 Mont. Orn. Diet.— 



Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 8— Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 88. — Ib. App. p. 14. 

 young. — Low's Faun. Oread, p. 54. — Selby, pi. 36. fig. 1. p. 92.* 



Weight about three ounces ; length eight inches and three-quarters ; 

 the bill is not quite an inch and a half long, bluish at the base, yellow 

 at the point, and, when opened, the gape extends far back in the head ; 

 the nostrils are surrounded by an oval prominent rim ; irides hazel ; 

 the head, neck, and upper parts of the back are black, glossed with 

 purple and green, as viewed in different lights ; the feathers on the 



