18 
Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the 
569. Subsp. Sturnus poltaratzskyi Finsch. 
Pearse obtained in October 1878 some specimens of 
Poltaratzsky’s Starling which were identified by Seebohm, 
and Guillemard shot at least two on his 1888 visit. Glaszner 
sent Madarasz nine specimens, taken near Larnaca in January, 
February, and November. I obtained one old male, which 
I should think is typical of this form, at Morphou in December 
1908. I believe that Glaszner has sent a considerable 
number of locally obtained Starlings to various European 
naturalists, but I have not been able to ascertain that any 
results have as yet been published concerning them. 
572. Pastor roseus (Linn.). 
The locust was for centuries almost an annual scourge 
in Cyprus, and the wailings of writers over its destruc¬ 
tiveness are lamentable. All sorts of remedies seem to have 
been tried, but the most successful, according to the 16th 
and 17th century writers, was a miraculous fountain of water, 
situated in Syria or Persia, a basin of which, being conveyed 
to the island, with certain solemn rites, was followed by large 
flocks of “red and black birds, which, flying together like 
Starlings, with their song and flight destroyed the locusts.” 
There are other interesting reasons given for the appearance 
of these useful assistants, but it can hardly he doubted 
that this account, published in 1596, refers to the hose- 
coloured Pastor. The extremely capricious character of the 
visits of this species is shown by the infrequency with which 
it has been recorded. It was, however, one of Unger and 
Kotschy’s additions to Sibthorp’s list ; but, although Lord 
Lilford was informed that it was very well known in Cyprus 
and was assured that it sometimes bred in the island, 
neither he, Pearse, Guillemard, nor Glaszner apparently 
succeeded in coming across it. Indeed, the only definite 
record with which 1 was until lately acquainted was that of 
a single juvenile specimen mentioned by Muller as having 
been taken during the breeding-season, presumably in 1877 
or 1878. Mr. Baxendale and Horsbrugh w T ere lucky enough 
to meet with this species in May 1909, when they observed 
