I 
STURNUS VULGARIS. 
S T J R L I N G. 
Generic Character. 
jBill ftraight. 
Tongue cleft. 
Legs ftrong, covered with a few large fcales. 
Toes three forward, one backward^ the centre connefted 
to the outer one as far as the firft joint. 
Synonyms. 
Sturnus vulgaris. Lin, Syji, u p. 290. 1. Ind. 
Orn. 1 . />. 3 2 1 . J . 
Starling. Br, ZooL 1. 104. tai^, 46. IkfoL tab. P. 2. 
jig, 1. ArB, ZooL 2. />. 331. -4. Laih. 
Syn, 3,/>. 2. lb, Supt. p, 137. Mont, 
Orn. Di&, Vol 2. Bewick's Britijb 
Birds^ Ft, i. p. lid. 
Th I S teird is about nine inches in length and thirteen in 
breadth, and weighs nearly three ounces and a half ; bill 
fharjp, an inch and a quarter long ; gape extending beyond 
the eye ; irides light hazel ; tail fhort, 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, aflbciating in immenfe numbers with rooks, crows, 
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 infeds ; whilfl on the ground it fre- 
quently utters a fhrill whiftle ; it does not hop, but runs on 
the ground in the manner of the Lark genus. 
It 
