GRACULINJE. STURNUS. 
117 
small, lower eyelids partly bare. Nostrils ovate, operculate. 
Head ovato-oblong, of moderate size ; neck short ; body com- 
pact ; tarsus moderate, compressed, with seven anterior scu- 
tella, thin-edged behind ; first toe stouter, lateral toes about 
equal ; claws moderately stout, much compressed, laterally 
grooved, arched, acute. Plumage compact, splendent ; fea- 
thers on the nasal sinus recurved, on the head and neck lan- 
ceolate ; wings of moderate length, with the first quill very 
small and slender, the second slightly shorter than the third, 
which is longest ; tail short, straight, emarginate, and slightly 
rounded. 
The Starlings are of small size, gregarious, and insecti- 
vorous. They belong to the Old Continent, but are closely 
allied to the genus Sturnella, which is peculiar to America, 
and forms the transition to the conic -billed granivorous 
birds. 
58. Sturnus guttatus. Spotted Starling. 
Adult male with the feathers of the head and neck lanceo- 
late and acuminate, of the other parts broader but tapering ; 
the general colour black with splendent blue and purple tints ; 
all the feathers, unless on the head and fore neck, with a trian- 
gular white spot at the tip ; bill pale yellow ; feet light red- 
dish-brown. In spring the feathers more attenuated, their 
white tips diminished. Female with the feathers as in the 
male, but broader, and tipped with broader spots, of which 
those on the upper parts are light brown, on the lower white ; 
bill dusky, feet reddish-brown. Young of a uniform greyish- 
brown colour ; bill brownish-black, feet dusky. 
Male, 91 15^, 5j%, IJ, 1, If, Female, 9|, 15|. 
The Starling is generally distributed in Britain, but local. 
It is nowhere more common than in the northern and western 
Isles of Scotland, where it breeds in caves, crevices of rocks, 
and holes in the turf. In more southern parts it nestles in 
hollow trees, old buildings, and rocks. The eggs, from four to 
six, are of a somewhat elongated oval form, glossy, of a very 
pale greenish-blue, an inch and a quarter long, ten-twelfths 
in breadth. It is gregarious, flies with considerable rapidity, 
walks and runs with ease, searches the pastures for worms, 
larvse, and insects, is fond of attending cattle and sheep, on 
which it sometimes perches. Its song is pleasant, and when 
tamed it can be taught to whistle tunes, and even to imitate 
words. 
