92 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



THE STARLING IN SOLWAY. 

 By ROBERT SERVICE. 



MR. HARVIE-BROWN's account of the increase and distribu- 

 tion of the Starling throughout Scotland given in the January 

 " Annals " forms a very valuable and interesting chapter in 

 Caledonian Ornithology. It was not to be expected that 

 the subject could be treated in such detail as to satisfy 

 students of the lesser faunal areas. And it is with a view 

 to filling up several blanks in the history of the species in 

 Solway that I venture to string together a few items that I 

 find in my note-books, and offer them for permanant record 

 in the pages of the " Annals." 



I am not convinced that there is sufficient evidence to 



prove that the Starling was at any time during the last 



century more than a transient migrating visitor north of the 



Borders. These transient visits, probably caused by a 



succession of two or more years of plenty, or favourable 



meteorological influences, seem to have been getting more 



frequent towards the end of the last century. It is interesting 



to note that most of these earlier records given by Mr. 



Harvie-Brown are at places along the fly-line with which 



observers in Solway are so familiar ; and which was first, I 



think, pointed out by Mr. Mitchell in his "Birds of Lancashire." 



The birds in their vernal migration come straight up the 



Irish Sea from the coasts of France and Spain, brushing 



along the outlying headlands of Wales and N.W. England ; 



and coming on to the coasts of Galloway in vast flocks, strike 



across country, or, as is most usual, continue their journey 



up the western shores. Not once, but many scores of times, 



I have seen these migrating flocks arrive from the sea ; and 



far oftener, in wild, moist, dark spring nights, have had the 



evidence of my ears that great multitudes of twittering, 



piping, whistling birds were passing overhead. Almost at 



any time during the latter half of September and in early 



October can the same phenomena be noted in the return 



direction. 



My own experience and recollection of the Starling 



