30 My Garden Summer-Seat. 



scarlet berries begin to appear, to make a brave show 

 in later September and October ; and to that is linked 

 an anecdote, which makes the fruit ravages of the star- 

 lings more present to me than would otherwise be the 

 case, and which at the same time throws some light at 

 once on the stolidity and the lazy observant curiosity 

 of a certain class of youthful rustic. At that, time I 

 employed a youth of thirteen or fourteen to do odd 

 jobs in the garden, &c., and one day, on coming out 

 and going up to him, as he stood gazing and gaping at 

 something or other across the lawn, and asking the 

 reason of his expression and attitude, I got this very 

 characteristic reply : " Well, maister, I was just a- 

 lookin' at the starlin' on that ere cherry tree, he do be 

 a picken' off they cherries somethin' wonderful " the 

 wonderfulness of the starling's power to pick off the 

 cherries having so impressed the lout that he was dis- 

 inclined to take the trouble to drive it off. I at once 

 went and did this myself, and had the tree netted, as it 

 was small, though a splendid fruiter. But this did not 

 prevent the starlings returning and making many efforts 

 to pick the fruit through the netting, and one of the 

 birds was caught by the feet in the net and suffered 

 the penalties of his audacity. I have not since shortly 

 after that event had any boys in my garden, believing, 

 with one of my old, shrewd, experienced, observant, 

 farmer friends, that " one boy is a third a man, two 

 boys a sixth a man, and three boys no man at all." 



But, notwithstanding all this, the starling is one of 

 the most delightful of birds. It is animated, clever, 

 full of resource, and is capable of being domesticated 

 and taught no end of things. Some of the class have 

 been found able to say certain words more or less dis- 

 tinctly ; and on this fact Dr. Norman Macleod founded 



