86 
BIRDS. PASSERES. 
Sturnus. 
dusky. Cheeks, ear-covers, and lower parts of the neck, white. Back and 
breast yellowish-brown. Lesser wing-covers black. Greater covers and ba- 
sal half* of the quills gamboge-yellow ; the other half black, with a white spot 
at the tip. Tad black, the six middle feathers tipped with white, the others, 
with an oval white spot on the outer web. The female less bright in the colours. 
— Nest in shrubs, of lichens and moss, lined with vegetable down and hair. 
Eggs 5, bluish-white, with orange spots. — The food of this species consists of the 
seeds of thistles and similar plants. In winter it is gregarious, but the flocks 
are small. 
The Fringilla Canaria, or Canary, has been long reared in this country. 
It breeds freely in confinement, and is highly prized for its song *. 
Gen. XLVII. STURNUS. Starling. — Bill slightly subu- 
late ; depressed at the point, with the nostrils partly closed 
by a prominent rim. 
109 . S. vulgaris. Common Starling. — Plumage black, with 
purple reflections, the feathers tipped with triangular white 
spots. 
Will- Orn. 144, Sihh. Scot. 17. Linn. Syst. i. 270. Penn. Brit. Zool- 
i. 299 . Temm. Orn. i. 132. — IF, Dreydwen, Drydwy. — Generally dis“ 
tributed. 
Length 8|, breadth 16 inches ; weight 3| ounces. Bill yellow. Feet brown. 
Irides hazel. Quills and tail dusky, with pale reddish brown margins. Fe- 
male^ has the biU less yellow, and the white spots more numerous. — Nest in 
the hole of a tree or wall, of dry grass. Eggs 5, bluish-green. Young^ of 
a uniform hair-brown colour, constituting the Passer solitarius of Willoughby, 
Orn. 140., and the Solitary Thrush of Montagu — This bird is most numerous 
near the coast, and seems to execute irregular migrations. It abounds in the 
Orkney and Zetland Isles. 
Gen.XLVIII. GARRULUS. Jay.— B ill lengthened, hooked. 
Crown feathers long, and capable of erection. 
110- G. glandarius. — Black mustaches. Chin, breast, belly, 
and rump white. The greater wing-coverts barred with blue 
and black. 
Pica glandaria. Will. Orn. 88. Sibb. Scot. 15. — Corvus gland. Linn. Syst. 
i. 156. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 220. Temm. Orn. i. 114. — Jay-piet ; 
IF, Screch y coed. ; G. Scriachag choille. — In woods, but not numerous. 
Length 14, breadth 21 1 inches ; weight 7 ounces. Bill black. Legs brown. 
Irides grey. Head white, with black streaks. Nape, back, and shoulders 
brownish purple red. Primaries dusky, the outer webs grey. Six of the se- 
condaries black, the outer webs bluish-white at the base, the two next black. 
Tail black. Female similar. — Nest in thickets or trees, of sticks, lined with 
fibrous roots. Eggs 5 or 6, of a pale blue, blotched with brown. — The jay is 
omnivorous, docile, and possesses strong powers of imitation. Confined to 
woody districts. 
Gen. XLIX. PICA. Magpie. — Bill hooked. Tail long 
and wedge-shaped. 
* Those who wish for accurate information respecting the rearing of small 
birds, may consult, with advantage, “ A Treatise on British Song-Birds,” by 
Mr Sime, in 1 vol. 8vo. Edin. 1823. 
