COMMON STARLING. 249 



the lazy sparrow has taken possession, though the 

 starling is anything but exempt from the charge of 

 intruding in like manner upon the homes of others. 

 Being an early breeder, the young of the year in 

 their sombre brown may be seen in small flocks by 

 the middle of May, and later still, in June and July, 

 young and old together combine to form those enormous 

 masses which have at all times excited the atten- 

 tion of naturalists as they gather to their roosts in 

 the evening. By day one sees them scattered about in 

 smaller parties, in meadows and pastures, or in the rich 

 grazing marshes near the rivers and broads, and it is in 

 the neighbourhood of these last named waters, that in 

 Norfolk the chief bulk of these birds may be seen 

 during summer and autumn. Sometimes when enjoy- 

 ing the delights of a cruise, one comes upon a flock of 

 many hundreds together, rising with one accord in 

 indescribable numbers, now lengthened out into an 

 immense grey line, now massed together in a dense 

 black cloud, as they turn and twist with a marvellous pre- 

 cision of movement. Sir Thomas Browne, far too good 

 an observer to pass unnoticed so interesting a sight, thus 

 writes of their collecting amongst the reeds at night 

 "I went to the marshes about sunset, where, standing 

 by their usual place of resort, I observed very many 

 flocks flying from all quarters, which, in less than an 

 hour's space, came all in and settled in innumerable 

 numbers in a small compass." Any traveller from Nor- 

 wich on the Yarmouth line, when looking towards the 

 river near the Brundall station, may see them between 

 seven and eight o'clock during the summer evenings, 

 making for the reed-beds on Surlingham broad ; and here 

 in some places, as I have had frequent opportunities of 

 witnessing, so great are the numbers thai nightly 

 assemble, that the reeds are literally trampled down 

 with their weight. To those at all interested in the 

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