STARLING. 97 



black, edged with white, the wings black, edged with 

 chestnut, the under parts are red, shading into white 

 on the chin and breast. Its song consists of a few 

 notes very quickly uttered ; it is also said to imitate 

 the notes of other birds. 



The nest is begun about the second week in May. 

 It is generally placed in a thorn bush, at no great 

 distance from the ground ; it is large, thick, and made 

 of straw, hay, or moss, and lined with wool and 

 horsehair. 



The eggs are from four to six in number, salmon 

 colour, yellowish white, or deep cream colour, with a 

 zone of grey and pale reddish-brown spots near the 

 larger end, and sometimes a few hair lines of deep 

 brown. Occasionally the zone of spots is found round 

 the smaller end. 



The Butcher Bird will live for years in captivity, 

 when it is said to frequently display its imitative 

 powers, and even to reproduce the barking of a dog ; 

 but it must be borne in mind that it is a Butcher, and 

 therefore should be kept separate from any other 

 pets. 



STARLING. 



STURNUS VULGARIS. 



Family Passerid.^. Sub-family Sturnin^. Genus Sturnus. 



Stare — Sheep Stare — Brown Starling — Solitary Thrush. 



One of our resident birds, though its numbers are 

 largely increased by annual migrations from the north 

 of Europe. It is alsO'One of our commonest birds in 

 England, though in Scotland it is less numerously 

 distributed, and in Ireland it must be considered 



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