PERCHING BIRDS. 135 



the heavens, and occasionally changing its form, 

 and breaking into smaller masses. It was evening, 

 and the birds had, probably, collected together to 

 roost for the night, in a large wood, over the top 

 of which they were enjoying a few moments, 

 before retiring to rest. The ease and elegance of 

 their movements, as they flew to and fro ; the firm 

 and compact manner in which they kept together 

 when moving in mass ; the peculiar facility which 

 enabled them to break the main army into num- 

 berless smaller ones, and then unite again, almost 

 instantaneously, was perfectly astonishing, and 

 equal to anything ever witnessed in the flight of 

 birds." Mr. Jesse observes that, when a flock of 

 starlings is seen from a distance, with the sun 

 reflected on their wings, they appear and disappear 

 as they turn to the left or right, according to the 

 gleams of light. 



Starlings keep up a close and friendly intercourse 

 with rooks and jack-daws ; but, on looking at them 

 in the fields, it will be perceived, that while the 

 two latter mix promiscuously, both in their move- 

 ments and in searching for food, the starlings 

 always keep to their own flock. This is a secret 

 in the habits of birds which the naturalist cannot 

 fathom. These are, at all times, very lively birds ; 

 and at pairing time, when others fight, they are 

 all play and good humour. They not only 



