THE STARLING 119 



To what extent the starling, in such numbers, 

 is beneficial or the reverse is a matter of some 

 doubt. That they do a deal of good by the 

 destruction of ' leather-jackets ' and other 

 noxious grubs and insects is certainly true ; 

 but they are an omnivorous race, and like 

 their relatives, the rooks and jackdaws, seem 

 to be acquiring new and unwelcome habits, 

 robbing other birds of their eggs and young. 

 Already in 1843 Yarrell records that they were 

 accused of frequenting dove-cots and destroying 

 both eggs and young, although he seems to have 

 found the charge 'not proven.' Gray 1 relates 

 that he had himself seen a starling drag five 

 young sparrows from a nest and proceed to 

 swallow them one after the other ; if they con- 

 fined themselves to sparrows perhaps they might 

 be forgiven. I can recall that when the starling 

 first began to appear in the Upper Ward of 

 Lanarkshire, say in the 'sixties,' they were 

 accused of destroying the eggs of the lark ; 

 and Dr. Saxby 2 records that he has known 

 them to do so ; and also once detected a pair 

 in the act of devouring pigeons' eggs. 



The starling has great powers of mimicry, and 

 delights in imitating the songs and call-notes of 

 other birds. It seems especially fond of repro- 



1 Birds of the West of Scotland, 1871. * Birds of Shetland. 



