THE ENGLISH 1ST All LING. 



THE ENGLISH STARLING. 



A MERRY-MAKING clown is on i 1 well-known English friend, made famous by 

 writers of prose and verse. 



Although the Starling's natural song cannot be classed with that of the Night- 

 ingale, he makes up for this deficiency by his numerous laughable tricks, his great 

 lameness, and great power of mimicry. All points considered, he is one of the most 

 attractive of cage-birds. As for a cage for him, it is not necessary : for, after being 

 with you a few days, he is not satisfied unless he has the full run of the house ; and 

 you may rest assured every thing which comes under his sharp glance must pass the 

 closest inspection. He is always a great favorite, and has been the subject of many 

 good, bad, and indifferent stories. His glistening purple plumage gives him a hand- 

 some appearance ; but his walk as he goes across the floor cannot be considered 

 studied or graceful, being a compound of a duck's waddle and the roll of the typical 

 old salt. 



His roguish eye flashes out the intelligence which he displays by his aptitude for 

 learning to pipe entire tunes, he being the trained Bullfinch's great rival in this 

 respect. He learns to talk also, and it is recorded that one has spoken sentences 

 with as many as ten words in them. 



He is probably one of the easiest kept cage-birds known, as his appetite is by 

 no means as dainty as it is unlimited. He will eat almost any thing in the shape of 

 bird-food ; and, if put in an aviary with other birds, his greediness, if not satisfied 

 with sufficient food, would tempt him to turn cannibal, and devour one of his mess- 

 mates, a trait of character which his intellectual talents and simple ways would not 

 lead one to suspect. They live, however, very amicably when a lot are put in one 

 cage together ; and their antics are strange and very comical. 



The Starling is about eight inches in length : the beak is one inch long, very 

 slender and pointed, and pale yellow in color. The entire body is of a blackish 

 cast, tinted with bright purple and green. The feathers of the head, and back of the 

 neck, are tipped with reddish white, those on the back with a light rust color, and on 

 the outer part of the body with clear white, which gives the bird a comely, speckled 

 appearance. In the female the spots are larger than in the male, and the beak is of 

 a brownish color. 



The Starling inhabits all parts of Europe, from March until October, and breeds 

 in large numbers, in almost any place on which a nest may be built. He considers 

 the eaves of a house as much his property as a tree in the woods. 



It is singular to watch a flock of Starlings about to retire for the night : they will 

 wheel about the thicket or spot which they have selected to settle on for the night 



