ITS FOOD. 



393 



sudden the flock becomes momentarily indistinguishable, every 

 bird having simultaneously turned itself on its side, so as to present 

 only the edge of its wings to the eye. The whole body will then sep- 

 arate into several divisions, each division wheeling with the most won- 

 derful accuracy, and after again uniting their forces they will execute 

 some singular manoeuvre, and then resume their onward progress to the 

 feeding-ground or resting-place. 



The nest of the Starling is a 

 very loose kind of affair, com 

 posed of straw, roots, and 

 grasses, thrust carelessly to- 

 gether, and hardly deserving 

 the name of a nest. In many 

 cases the bird is so heedless 

 that it allows bits of straw 

 and grass to hang from the 

 hole in which the nest is placed, 

 just as if it had intentionally 

 furnished the bird-nesting boy 

 with a clew to the position ot 

 the nest. Although this bird 

 makes its home in some retired 

 spot, such as the cleft of a rock, 



a niche in some old ruin, a ^ ^ ^ ,^^ , . 



, , . , 1 , The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris 



ledge in a church-tower, or a 



hole in a decaying tree, there are few nests more easy to discover ; 

 for not only does the bird leave indications of its home in the man- 

 ner already described, but is so very loquacious that it cannot resist 

 the temptation of squalling loudly at intervals, especially when re- 

 turning to its domicile laden with food for its young, and so betrays the 

 position of its home. The eggs are generally five in number, and of 

 the faintest imaginable blue. 



The food of the Starling is very varied, but consists chiefly of insects. 

 These birds have a habit of following cows, sheep, and horses, flutter- 

 ing about them as they move, for the purpose of preying upon the in- 

 sects which are put to flight by their feet. The Starlings also perch 

 upon the backs of the cattle and rid them of the parasitic insects that 

 infest them. From the sheep the Starling often takes toll, pulling out 

 a beakful of wool now and then and carrying it away to its nest. It 

 is a voracious bird, the stomach of one having been found to contain 

 more than twenty shells, some of no small size and all nearly perfect, 

 a great number of insects, and some grain. Another Starling had 

 eaten fifteen molluscs of diflferent kinds, a number of perfect beetles, 

 and many grubs. 



