are a t once interesting and useful,—interesting on account of their beauty, and useful from the good they
effect in the countries they frequent by the destruction o f the locusts and other insects and their larvae, upon
which they feed.
185. P astor r o s e u s ....................................................................................................................... Vol. III. PI. LY.
R o se -co lo u r ed P asto r .
186. P astor ro seus Vol. III. PI. LVI.
R o se-co lo u r ed P astor ( y o u n g ) .
A beautiful but unusually-coloured bird, which is very plentiful in Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and
Western India. I t is merely an accidental visitor to England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Family ICTERID/E.
This is a purely American family, comprising considerably more than a hundred species, which are spread
over the continent o f America and the approximate islands. Two o f them have from time to time wandered
far from their native homes and sought a haven in the British Islands.
Genus A g e l a iu s .
O f this section of Icterine birds about five species are known, the habitats o f which are almost exclusively
confined to the temperate and northern parts o f the American continent.
187. A g e la iu s ph ie n ic e u s .
Red-winged Starling.
Nine instances are on record of the occurrence of this species in Britain, namely seven in England and
two in Scotland. The earliest o f these appears to be the one mentioned as having been taken near London,
by Albin, in his ‘History o f British Birds,’ published in 1731-38, after which the bird seems to have remained
unnoticed until the year 1843, between which date and 1871 eight others are described as haviug been met
with in various parts o f the country. The late M r. Yarrell figured this transatlantic species in the supplement
to his I History o f British Birds,’ to which work, as well as those of Wilson and Audubon, I must refer my
readers for its history; for, as I do not consider the bird pertains to our $iuna, I have not included a figure
of it in this work.
Genus S t u r n e l l a .
A peculiar group of grass-loving birds, strictly confined to America, over which country the five known
species are distributed.
188. S tu r n e l l a L udoviciana .
American Meadow-Starling.
Three instances o f the occurrence of this bird in England have been recorded—Mr. Sclater mentioning, in
‘ The Ibis ’ for 1861, one that had been shot a t Thrandeston, in Suffolk, and another seen at South Walsham, in
Norfolk, and Mr. Lloyd the third, in the ‘ Field ’ for March 1871, as having been obtained near Cheltenham
many years a g o ; this latter specimen was seen and verified by Mr. Harting.
This species, like the preceding, being purely American, I have not included a figure o f it in my work.
F o r all particulars respecting it, see the works o f Wilson and Audubon, and Mr. Sclater’s paper in ‘ The Ibis ’
above referred to.
Family CORVIDAE.
The members o f this family, comprising some of the very largest o f the Insessorial birds, are distinguished
by several characteristics, and are divided into many genera. The Crows, the Daws, the Rooks, and the
Choughs may be regarded as the more typical forms, and the Jays, Pies, and Nutcrackers as the more
ab erran t; still they, with many other genera, are placed in this large and all but universally spread family.
Genus C o rvus .
One o r other o f the true Crows are dispersed over all parts of the globe, with the exception of the
southern portion o f America, New Zealand, and Polynesia, where none are to be found. Structurally they
a re considered by many writers to be among the most perfectly formed birds which exist, their organization
enabling them to fly through the air, perch on the branches o f trees, and walk over the surface o f the ground
with equal facility, and the muscles o f their throats permitting them to utter connected sentences scarcely
equalled by the members o f any other group of birds.
1 8 9 . C orvus c o r a x .................................................................................................................................Vol. III. PI. LVII.
R aven.
A resident species, generally dispersed over the three kingdoms—plentiful in the north, more scarce in
the south, where its great size and questionable habits procure it many enemies. Besides Britain, the
northern portion of Europe, Asia, and America are countries which may include it in their avifaunas.
in n n . •190. C orvus corone . . . • • • • • • • Vol. III. PI. LVIII.
C a rrio n -C row.
A resident species, generally diffused over the three kingdoms; is also found in most parts of Europe.
2 A