AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 209 



many times with an exact imitation of the cry of the 

 Kestrel, and others at various times with that of the 

 chatter of the Fieldfare, the whistle of the Golden 

 Plover, and the cry of the Alpine Chough, Fijrrlio- 

 Gorax alpimis, which they had no doubt acquired 

 from birds of that species in my aviary. White, or 

 partially white, varieties of this bird are by no means 

 very uncommon. A pure white one frequented the 

 park at lilford for many months ; I would not allow 

 him to be pursued or molested, but he, or another 

 precisely similar to him, was eventually shot at 

 Barnwell Castle and sent to me by the slayer with a 

 modest request for 10s. The many attractive qualities 

 of this species as a cage-bird are well known, but 

 there is no need for any lover of birds residing in 

 the country to imprison a Starling, as the bird is so 

 common and so familiar that its habits, in a state of 

 freedom, may be closely studied in almost all parts 

 of England. In most parts of Southern Europe the 

 Starling is a winter visitor, and in Andalucia certain 

 reed-fens are hired expressly on account of these 

 birds, which are shot as they come in to roost, pickled, 

 and sent to all parts of the country. To our taste 

 they are extremely nasty as food. There is a theory 

 that pulling their heads off immediately after killing 

 them deprives them of their natural bitter flavour, 

 but we cannot say that we have found them otherwise 

 than repulsive on the table in any circumstances. 

 Several instances have come to our knowledge in 

 Northamptonshire of pairs of Starlings taking pos- 

 session of holes in trees prepared as nesting-places 

 by the Green Woodpecker. It would be natural to 

 suppose that if the matter came to a contest the 

 latter birds would prove the victors, but we are 



P 



