[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._
Starlings, if taken when young, are easily tamed and make excellent pets.]
Differing much, not only in general appearance, but also in coloration, from the common starling is the ROSE-COLOURED STARLING, so called from the beautiful rose-pink colour of the back and breast, set off by the rest of the plumage, which is black, glossed with violet, blue, and green reflections. This handsome bird occasionally visits Britain. Feeding largely upon locusts, these birds are much affected in their movements by the peregrinations of these pests; and this accounts for the sporadic appearance of the rose-coloured starling in huge flocks in places where it is generally seldom seen.
Dull in appearance, ungraceful in flight, and with a harsh, unmusical note, the starling known as the OX-PECKER would seem at first sight to have little to recommend it; yet it is one of the benefactors of the larger African mammals, clearing them of flies and other insect-pests. Buffaloes, rhinoceroses, elephants, are alike grateful for its services, as it climbs about their huge bodies, picking off the liliputian enemies by which they are beset. But little appears to be known of the breeding-habits of these birds.
In strong contrast to the dull-looking Ox-birds are the beautiful GLOSSY STARLINGS and GRACKLES. The AFRICAN GLOSSY STARLINGS, indeed, represent the most beautiful of all the members of the Starling Tribe. In one of the handsomest and best-known species--the LONG-TAILED GLOSSY STARLING--metallic green and purple-violet are the predominating tones in the plumage, glossed with copper reflections, and relieved by black or darker bars of green and purple. In another species--the GREEN GLOSSY STARLING of Eastern Africa--the shimmer of the plumage is so wonderful that the exact shades of colour are difficult to describe, in that they change completely, according to the light in which the bird is held.
The GRACKLES, or HILL-MYNAS, are Indian birds, with glossy black plumage, relieved by bare flaps of yellow skin projecting backwards from the head immediately behind the eye. These birds make excellent pets, learning both to whistle and talk.
[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._