STURNID. 213 
roost, they do considerable damage to the ever- 
greens, in consequence of the great quantity of 
guano deposited, which poisons the plants. In 
other ways the Starling is a most useful bird, feed- 
ing on grubs and insects. M. Prevost gives strong 
evidence of the usefulness of this bird in his list of 
food, which is as follows :—“ January, worms, srubs 
of cockchaffers and grubs in dung; February, grubs, 
snails and slugs; March, orubs of cockchaffers and 
snails; April, the same; May, the same and grass- 
hoppers; June, flies and grubs of various flies ; 
July, grubs and fresh-water shell-fish ; August, flies, 
glow-worms and various beetles ;* September, green 
locusts, grubs of carrion-beetles and worms; Octo- 
ber, worms and beetles; November, snails, slugs 
and grubs. In summer it adds fruit and in winter 
hips, haws and buds of trees.” ‘This list certainly 
gives the Starling a most excellent character for 
general usefulness to man by the destruction of 
noxious insects, and although fruit is added to the 
list I have never myself caught this bird stealing 
fruit or heard any abuse of it from the gardener; I 
have, however, seen it eating ivy berries. 
OOO OO ever 
* The gizzard of one I examined this August was filled 
with small brown beetles and a little grass that it had pro- 
bably picked up with them; and in each of two others shot 
at Burnham, I found a small snail, the rest of the gizzards 
being filled with various parts of bectles. 
