228 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



Kite, or Hawk that chanced to come our way, and not feeling at all 

 sure at the time whether we ourselves might not have to come to 

 terms with the grey old ranger, very jirobably already lying in 

 wait for us at the foot of the tree. As a rule, however, in such 

 an emergency we managed to avoid a personal interview with that 

 worthy official, by simply remaining quietly sitting in the lowest 

 branches, and allowing time to settle the issue. The end of it 

 usually was that grumpy old Bruhn gave in first, in spite of all 

 his previous threats and violence. 



The Golden Oriole occurs as a breeding bird in north Africa, 

 in south and central Europe, and in the western half of Asia. To 

 Denmark and the south of Sweden its visits are very rare, but it 

 is of less rare occurrence in the south of Finland. 



Starling — Slurnus. — Only three species of this Old World genus 

 belong to Europe as breeding birds. One of these is found nesting 

 in small numbers in Heligoland, whilst another only occurs as a 

 rare visitant. 



61. — Starling [Staak]. 



STURNUS VULGARIS, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Spiien^ Starlitig. 



Stiirnus vulgaris. Nauinann, ii. 187. 



Common Starling. Dresser, vi. 405. 



Etoumeau vulgaire. Temminck, Manuel, i. 132, iii. 74. 



The Starlings count among the first heralds of the reawakening 

 s^jring migration. Larks and Greenfinches come and go nearly 

 the whole winter, sometimes travelling in an easterly, sometimes 

 in a westerly direction. It is quite otlierwi.se with the Starling, 

 which, after it has once begun its migration, continues its journey 

 without stopping, scarcely even allowing it to be interfered with by 

 stormy days. The first small fiights appear at the begimiing of 

 February, and even earlier if the weather is mild. Thus in 1885 

 a company of from fiftj' to sixty of these birds arrived here by 

 a regular easterly course as early as the 13th of January. The 

 migration lasts until the end of March, though isolated stragglers 

 arrive even later. 



Thus, while the old Starlings in company with a very small 

 number of other species form the vanguard of the spring migration, 

 the young may be said literally to inaugurate the return movement 

 from the nesting places to the winter quarters, for the first flocks 

 make their appearance as earlj' as the first weeks of June. In 1880 



