THE BIRDS OF RAINHAM. 41 



CROSSBILL. 

 Loxia curvirostra. Linn. 



Only upon one occasion in the space of more than 

 thirty years have we been visited by Crossbills. On 

 December loth, 1868, a little family of about a dozen 

 appeared in our nurseryman's garden, seen feeding 

 on the berries of an Arbor Vitae tree, in all shades of 

 plumage, one red, three green, the rest various. On 

 laying aside one of the females that was shot, con- 

 trary to the nature of things the body became quite 

 dried up without turning in the least putrid. 



STARLING. 

 Sturnus vulgaris (Linn.). 



One of our most useful birds is the Starling. They 

 follow the plough in summer with the pied wagtails, 

 feeding on the wireworms ; they are fatal enemies to 

 most of our noxious insects, they breed in holes of 

 trees in our orchards, leaving them with their young 

 just before the cherries get ripe, when they congregate 

 in the marshes, and as the winter approaches vast 

 numbers are seen together probing the turf for every 

 grub they can find, leaving the marks of their bills 

 thick on the grass in all directions. I once had the 

 pleasure of seeing the Starlings leaving the marshes 

 and going to roost ; there must have been hundreds 

 of thousands, strings of Starlings half a mile long 

 following each other in rapid succession for more 



