THE STARLING 55 
their shambling gait, and industrious boring on the lawn for larve 
—in cherry orchards they are regarded with terror, on account of 
the amount of mischief they will accomplish in a short space of 
time; and in the sheep-fold they are doubtless most cordially 
welcomed and their services thankfully received, as they rid the 
poor tormented animals of many an evil ‘tick’. 
The Starling is a handsome bird ; seen at a distance it appears 
to be of a uniform black hue, but on closer inspection its sable coat 
is found to be lustrous with reflections of purple and green, and every 
feather is tipped with white, or cream-colour—a mantle of shot- 
silk garnished with pearls. 
Except during the nesting season, a Starling is rarely seen alone ; 
most commonly perhaps they are observed in parties of from six to 
twelve, hunting in orchards or meadows for whichsoever article of 
their diet happens to be in season. Wherever a colony of Rooks, 
Jackdaws, or Rock Pigeons has established itself, there most pro- 
bably, or somewhere in the neighbourhood, a large party will 
assemble to roost, and will attend the others on all their foraging 
expeditions. In spring the flocks, small and great, break up into 
pairs, each withdrawing to a convenient nesting place, which is 
sometimes a hole in a tree, sometimes a building, a cliff, or a cave. 
The nest itself is a simple structure, being composed of dry grass 
and roots, and contains generally five eggs. At this season the male 
bird adds to the chirping and twittering notes of both sexes a soft, 
and not unmusical note, which resembles more closely than any 
other sound with which I am acquainted the piping of a boatswain’s 
whistle, and it is not uncommon to hear a party of choristers 
thus engaged, perched meanwhile on some high tree, even while 
incubation is going on. Starlings, also, mimic the notes of 
other singers. The breeding season over, they become nomad in 
their habits. Many families unite into a flock, and explore the 
country far and wide for suitable feeding places, their diet being, 
up to this time, exclusively worms and insects. But no sooner does 
the fruit begin to ripen in the cherry districts, than the flocks, now 
assembled in countless multitudes, descend on the trees, and, if not 
observed and scared away, appropriate the whole crop. 
Newly-fledged Starlings are so different from their parents, that 
they might be mistaken fora different species. The plumageisofa 
uniform greyish brown, lighter beneath. It is not till the end of 
July or the beginning of August that the adult plumage begins to 
show itself, and then the young birds present a singular appear- 
ance, as the glossy black feathers, tipped with pearl, appear in 
irregular patches on various parts of the body. Starlings do not 
usually roost near the scene of their depredations, but from this 
season and thence until late in autumn they repair, as if by some 
preconcerted scheme, to a rendezvous common to many detach- 
ments. A writer in the Zoologist states that there were formerly, 
