STURNUS VULGARIS. 



433 



May 14th, 1880, I saw one pop out of the letter-box at Clayton 

 (five miles from here). I went back on the 29th and found 

 that three ripe young ones were taken out the week before. 

 The postman told me that two pairs began to build in the box, 

 one at each end. He thought it was boys that put in the 

 straws. He cleared them out repeatedly, until he saw the birds 

 fly out. He allowed them to build, till an egg was laid in one 

 of the nests. The other pair then took possession of the box. 

 Although the box was opened twice a day, they sat and reared 

 their young until ripe. They never sullied the letters or 

 papers, the droppings being carried out by the old birds. The 

 1)Ox was 17 inches high, 16 broad, 14 deep, the hole only 4 

 inches long by l^ 1 6 — a small one for a starling to pop into. On 

 May 23rd, 1886, in going through Earlsha' ruins, near 

 Leuchars, I got a nest with raw young ones under the old floor 

 of the upper storey. I went back on June 6th, and on lifting 

 the boards the young flew about the room. I replaced the 

 boards, caught the birds, and left them under the floor. The 

 old ones got access through a small window ; but they breed in 

 strange places. On May 9th, 1888, when the barque 

 "Blytheswood," of Greenock, was loading at Montrose, on 

 unfurling the mainsail a starling's nest, with four eggs, fell into 

 the hold. The birds were often seen on the yard, but it was 

 never dreamt they had taken possession of the ship — as a proof 

 there is no hard and fast line for breeding. On January 7th, 

 1889, a pair were rearing their young in a hole of a tree. At 

 Christmas, December 25th, 1888, about the same time, when 

 Mr Mackie, oversman at No. 7 Blair Ironstone Pit, Dairy, was 

 going along the air passage he had his light suddenly put out. 

 On putting up his hand to his lamp be caught a starling on his 

 cap. How it got there is not known. It had a sooty 

 appearance, and devoured food greedily, as if it had been there 

 for some time. At No. 3 Craigneuk Pit, Airdrie, one was 

 found at the bottom of the shaft. It was taken up and set free, 

 but the miners were surprised to find the same bird a few hours 

 after again at the bottom of the shaft, which is 900 feet deep. 

 One of the men took possession of it. I give these facts merely 

 to show the vagaries of the starling. 



Starlings are much more plentiful about St Andrews than 

 they were 50 years ago. They were then rare. When rambling 

 for nests I never thought of getting their eggs. Now, it is one 

 of the most plentiful birds we have at all times of the year. 

 But they are still more plentiful in Orkney. On June 14th, 



