the 'walls of the houses so low that it mayjbe easily reached
with the hand, yet it is seldom disturbed by the people.
The Starling is. common over Scandinavia, and' on thé
Faroe Islands ; and from the North, of Europe is "found as
far east as Nepaul, the Himalaya Mountains, China, and
Japan. I t is found also in the countries both" north and
south of’the Caucasian . range ; - in Persia ; at Trebizond, fey
Keith Abbott* Esq., -and at Smyrna by Mr. Stficklan-di It
inhabits both the northern and southern countries bounding
the Mediterranean ; and Mr. Gould, in his Birds of Europe,
says that it has been found in Africa as far, south-asthe Ca|?e
of Good Hope. As might be expected ^.it has been taken
at Madeira and the Canary Islands, and is reported1-to^Bé
common at 4he Azores; Mr. CharlëS' Darwin saw; iMs'bird
a t Terceira, one df the Azores,- In September 1 The
geographical range of this species1' a p p e& s '^ k ^ ^ S ^ t'© 1' fee
very extensive. Its flight Is vigorous and rapid. Iirprogres-
sion On the ground the Starling walks by alternate hsteps with
each leg, like the Crows. -
Adult ..males in their thirds summer» having |premdus}y
moulted in two preceding autumns, have* Ifié* feeqjk
except close4o the base; the irides brown ; the head, neck;'
back, and all the under surface of -the body , . almost—black,
but varied with pujple and green, which -are reflected with
great brilliancy in different lights ; the €eathersr*on^a^ppper
part of the breast elongated and pointed'; those on the shoulders
partially tipped with buff colour; the wing-coverts,
quill and tail feathers, greyish black, edged with palerbred*-
dish brown ; the legs dark reddish brown.
The whole length oibthe bird eight inches and a half.
From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, five inches and
o.ne-eighth: the first feather very short, not more than half att
inch in length; thé second feather the longest in the wing ;
the third but little shorter than the second; the fourth one
qiiarter'bf an inch*shorter than the third ; the other primary
quills diminishing regularly in succession, each about a quarter
“of7’an' inch shorter than the quill-feather which pre-
A male in his second summer having moulted but once,
has not acquired the fine yellow beak, and both the upper
and under surface of the body are varied by a greater number
of light-coloured spots. Very old males acquire an additional
nuiiiBbf' Of spots at their autumnal moult, which they
ca'rry through thCvwinter to. the commencement of the fol-
lo^hg)?spring';?when. light-edlfeured tips being many of
them worn/off, and the beaJk\becdming yellow, they present
the appearande first described;
' Voung birds of the' year, before theib first autumnal moult,
are of a uniform greyish brown colour; the throat white, and-
a tinge of whp'lv'qn the belly and/ybnt; the feathers of the
wings and tail darker brown,, with light reddish brown
edge.vL/- In this stage tbfe^young,Starling has been called the
Solitary " Th r a s h ; / h a s also been' considered the young of
another Continental specie's.--- Montagu’^specimen being
still preserved / in his collection at the British Museum, no
doubt remain^ that his bird was. nothing more than a young
Starlmgdbeibre' tile 'commencement of its first moult. During
the first moult, occUrs}in its first autumn, the plumage
of the? young Starling presents a curiousr mixture, the feathers
appearing in patehps| some plain,,brown, and others
©||pe dark colour of the seefedd dress.
The female Starling'ls-very similar to the male at the same,
age, but the plumage is rather less; brilliant in colour, and
the white 'spots on the^uhae^ surface of the body fire larger
than ®feie?-of the male^; but both sexes carry a much greater
number (fe|^s'po.ts*from tfoftumn to spring than froin Spring to
autumn; the- moult,' lowewerj only occurs and produces a
change in the autumn;,-the change'in the spring is effected