656 
S T U 
unite in large companies, as if to put themselves in sufficient 
force to brave its dangers. Then they assemble in a flock, 
and after various evolutions, rush with much impetuosity into 
the midst of the thicket, where they spend the evening in 
chattering, till darkness puts an end to their conversation. 
In the morning, at day-break, the noisy conference is re¬ 
sumed, till they depart or separate in search of food. Star¬ 
lings seldom take the trouble of building nests for themselves, 
but generally take possession of the deserted abodes of some 
other birds. 
Their docility, and the beauty of their plumage, have ren¬ 
dered starlings great favourites. They are frequently taught 
to speak, and sing song-tunes. Their vocal powers are, 
however, acquired by education, and in the domestic state, 
they support a musical character much better than in the 
wild. 
There is in the productions of Nature a continual ten¬ 
dency to variety, which is clearly exemplified in most of 
the tribes of birds, and which the distinct, and almost insu¬ 
lated characters of the starling, have not been able to defeat. 
Hence naturalists have enumerated five varieties of the com¬ 
mon starling, of which the first (independently of that 
already described) has a white body ; the second is white; 
the crown, neck, wings, and tail, are black; the third 
is white, but above the eyes and near the bill are two 
black spots; and the fourth is cinereous, with black bill and 
legs. 
2. Sturnus Capensis, or Cape starling.—Blackish beneath; 
the sides of the head are white.—It inhabits the Cape of Good 
Hope, and is the size of the last. The black and the white, 
which are the only colours of this bird, are distributed very 
like those of our pies. The bill is thicker and longer than 
that of the European starling, and its distinguishing marks 
are two large white spots of a round form on each side of the 
head. In the middle of these are placed the two ears. 
3. Sturnus Ludovicianus, or Louisiana starling.—The spe¬ 
cific characters of these are, that they are spotted with grey 
and brown, beneath they are yellow: the head and eye¬ 
brows are marked with a white line; the chin is black. A 
variety is varied with brown, reddish, and blackish, beneath 
yellow ; breast with a curved black band ; the three lateral 
tail-feathers are white. The starlings of Louisiana are ob¬ 
served in great flocks in the interior regions of North Ame¬ 
rica. By their manner of flight, as well as their shape, they 
indicate a near approach to our European kinds. 
4. Sturnus contra, or Indian starling.—Brown; eye-spot, 
bar on the wings, and belly, white. The body of this spe¬ 
cies is blackish; the ring on the upper part of the neck 
white; the upper wing-coverts are marked with white spots : 
the legs are of a pale yellow.—It inhabits India, and is 
thought to be a variety of the Sturnus Capensis. 
5. Sturnus cinclus, or water-ouzel; crake.—Black with 
a white breast. It is about seven or eight inches long; 
frequents waters, and feeds on aquatic insects and small 
fish; it is a very solitary bird, and breeds in the holes of 
banks; makes a curious nest of hay and fibres of roots, 
lined with dead leaves, and having an entrance of green 
moss. The chin is white; the tail black; belly ferru¬ 
ginous ; in the young bird it is white; the legs are of a 
pale blue before, and black behind.—This species is com¬ 
mon to our own country, other parts of Europe, and northern 
Persia. 
6 . Sturnus Milibaris, or Magellanic starling.—Grey; 
breast and chin red. Behind and under the eyes is a white 
spot; the lores are red; on each side the neck is a black 
blotch; the vent and sub-forked tail are black.—It inhabits 
the Falkland Islands, and is eleven and a half inches long. 
7. Sturnus Moritanus.—Cinereous; lower part of the head 
and chin varied with cinereous and white; belly spotted 
with reddish, hoary; the bill is tipt with black.—This spe¬ 
cies inhabits the Alpine parts of Persia; it is the size of a com¬ 
mon lark, builds in hollow rocks, and feeds on insects. 
8 Sturnus loyca.—Spotted with brown and white, chin 
and breast scarlet.—It inhabits Chili, and is larger than Stur¬ 
nus vulgaris; it builds in holes on the ground, and lays three 
S T U 
cinereous eggs, varied with brown : it sings well, and is easily 
tamed. 
9. Sturnus Mexicanus, or Mexican starling.—Blue varied 
with black. The bill and eyes are black; inds pale-yellow; 
the head is small.—It inhabits South America, and is about 
the size of the Sturnus vulgaris 
10. Sturnus obscurus, or brown-headed starling.—Black, 
but the head is brown, whence its trivial name.—It inhabits 
New Spain. 
11. Sturnus Zeylanicus, or Ceylonese starling—Line over 
the eyes and one on the sides of the head black ; body grey, 
varied with ochrey and white spots and crescents; quill- 
feathers green ; tail marked with green and black lines. The 
bill is black, the head yellowish ; the legs are of a blueish- 
grey.—It inhabits Ceylon, and imitates the notes of other 
birds. 
12. Sturnus fuscus, or brown starling.—Olive; eye-band 
blueish; bill and legs reddish. The belly is yellowish; the 
tail long —This is found chiefly in China. 
13. Sturnus viridis, or green starling.—Green, beneath 
blueish ; a tuft of black and white feathers on the front and 
chin. Above the front, and behind the eyes, a white spot, 
and two on the shoulders: quill-leathers and shafts of the 
tail-leathers white, legs blue-ash —This inhabits China. 
14. Sturnus sericeus, or silk starling.—Pale-grey; wings 
and tail black ; the former with a transverse white bar • 
head ochre-yellow. Bill and legs orange or red ; the plum¬ 
age is silky.—It inhabits China, and is the size of the Sturnus 
vulgaris. 
15. Sturnus carunculatus.—Bill and legs black; at each 
angle of the mouth a pendant orange wattle. The lemale is 
of a rusty-brown, with very small wattles. The male is 
black; the back and wing-coverts ferruginous.—It inhabits 
New Zealand, and is ten inches long. 
16. Sturnus collaris, or collared starling.—Blackish-brown, 
spotted with brown; the flanks are rufous, the chin is white 
spotted with brown. The upper mandible is brown, lower 
yellowish, tipt with brown ; breast brown-ash; the belly is 
rufous; quill-feathers blackish, the edge at the tip and inner 
side reddish; tail brown ; legs of a horn-colour.—This spe¬ 
cies is found chiefly in Switzerland and Italy; size of a field¬ 
fare ; it is a solitary bird ; wags its tail, feeds on seeds, sings 
with a very weak voice, and builds on the ground, or in the 
clefts of rocks. 
17. Sturnus Dauuricus.—Body above violet-black; be¬ 
neath ashy-white; the head and neck blueish-ash; crown 
with a violet-black streak; but in the female it is brown. 
The bill is black, and more convex than in others of its 
tribe; the tongue is blackish; thp irids brown ; down eye¬ 
lids and lores white. The head of the female is cinereous; 
the back is of a grev-brown ; the wing-coverts of the male 
are black; silky-green; the secondaries tipt with white; 
the quill-feathers are black ; the tw'o inner ones tipt with 
white; the primary ones are tipt with green ; the tail is sub¬ 
forked, greenish-black; the covert, violet; legs blueish- 
black.—This species is found chiefly among the ozier plan¬ 
tations of Dauuria; it is above six inches long, and feeds on 
vegetables and insects. 
STURRY, a parish o England, in Kent, on the river 
Stour, over which there is here an elegant stone bridge. Po¬ 
pulation 709; 2f miles north-east of Canterbury. 
STURSTON. 1. A township of England, in Derby¬ 
shire; 1 mile east of Ashborne.—2. A parish in Norfolk; 
5 miles south-west-by-west of Watton.—3. A parish in Suf¬ 
folk; 3 miles north-by-west of Wye.—4. A hamlet in the 
parish of Bagden, Huntingdonshire. 
STURTON. 1. A parish in Lincolnshire; 5~ miles 
north-west-by-north of Horncastle.—2. A township in 
Lincolnshire; 8| miles south-east of Gainsborough.—3. 
Another township in the above county; 3 miles south-west, 
of Glandford Bridge.—4. A hamlet in Staffordshire, situated 
on the river Stour; 3 miles from Stourbridge.—5. A hamlet 
in the West Riding of Yorkshire; 1| mile north west of 
Skipton.—6. Sturton, or Streton, a parish in Notting¬ 
hamshire ; 6 miles east-north-east of East Retford. Popu¬ 
lation 
