ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR. 
Pastor roscas. 
Of the Starlings we have 
two well-known English exam- 
ples. The first of these, the 
Rose-coloured Pastor, is a 
scarce bird in England, though 
occasionally seen in our islands. 
Although of rare occurrence 
in England, these birds are very 
common in many other coun- 
tries ; and, in some parts of In- 
dia, are so numerous that forty 
or fifty have been killed at a 
single shot, and they are said, by 
the agriculturists, to be hardly 
less destructive than locusts. 
Like the common Starling, the 
Rose-coloured Pastor always flies 
in flocks, and seems to possess 
many of the habits which belong 
to the beef-eaters, perching on 
the backs of cattle, and feeding 
on the parasitic insects and grubs 
which are generally found in such 
situations. On account of this 
habit of frequenting the cattle- 
field and the sheep-fold, the bird 
has received the title of Pastor, 
or shepherd. It feeds chiefly on 
insects; but, in the autumn 
months, varies its -diet with ripe 
fruits. 
The Rose-coloured Pastor pos- 
sesses a rather flexible voice ; its 
ordinary cry is rather harsh and 
grating, but the bird is able to 
of various other members of the 
modulate its voice, so as to imitate the tones 
feathered tribe. 
The colour of this bird is glossy purple black upon the head, neck, wings, and 
tail, and rose-pink on the breast and back. Its head is decorated with a crest of 
long flowing feathers of a rich violet black. This beautiful plumage is not com- 
pleted until the bird is three years old. 
138 
