. Birds of Asia / by John Gould. Birds; Birds. mmtmm STURNUS PURPURASCENS, Gould. Persian Starling*. Sturnus purpurascens, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 219. Some ornithologists may question the existence of more than two species of true Sturnus, viz. S. vulgaris and S unicolor, and others consider that the genus, even as now restricted, comprises at least two. more. Whatever may be the correct view of the case, those who regard the S. indicus as different from S. vulgaris, must admit that the present bird has still greater claims to a separate specific appellation ; and, at all event
. Birds of Asia / by John Gould. Birds; Birds. mmtmm STURNUS PURPURASCENS, Gould. Persian Starling*. Sturnus purpurascens, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 219. Some ornithologists may question the existence of more than two species of true Sturnus, viz. S. vulgaris and S unicolor, and others consider that the genus, even as now restricted, comprises at least two. more. Whatever may be the correct view of the case, those who regard the S. indicus as different from S. vulgaris, must admit that the present bird has still greater claims to a separate specific appellation ; and, at all events, every ornithologist who closely examines these three birds will at least allow that the distinctions pointed out by those who have written respecting them are correct. No naturalist, I imagine, is unaware that some one or more species of every natural genus of birds is very widely distributed, while the remainder are confined to a limited area : such a law appears to govern the Starlings; for the S. vulgaris, so widely distributed over Europe, also occurs, like many more of our common birds, in China. Mr. Swinhoe speaks of a specimen in the British Museum which had been sent direct from that country; and I possess another from Fokien, which does not differ, so far as I can see, from British-killed examples. Of S. purpu- rascens I have three fine specimens, all of which were collected at Erzeroum ; but I am still ignorant of the extent of the range of the bird over Persia; in like manner, we are unacquainted with the range of the S. indicus over India, all that is known on the subject being comprised in the following note by Mr. Blyth : " Starlings occur sufficiently near to Calcutta to be sold by the bird-dealers as no rarity, along with Rose Ousels and other birds taken in the neighbourhood. I have been assured they occur commonly so near as at Ranigange. The Indian Starling differs very slightly from S. vulgaris, but has a longer and more acu- minate bill. A third rac
Size: 1129px × 2213px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorgoul, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectbirds
