268 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Familiarity Strong voitv Food. 



breast has a changeable cast of green, red, and 

 purple, the feathers all over his body are black, 

 with a blre and purple gloss, varying, as it is dif- 

 ferently exposed to the light; only the tips of 

 the feathers on his head, neck, and breast, are 

 yellowish ; and on the belly, white : all his spots 

 and colours are brighter than those of the hen. 

 The bill of the cock is of a pale yellow, inclining 

 to white; of the hen, dusky. 



The starling is a very familiar bird, and in a 

 of captivity easily trained. Its natural 

 voice i.i strong and sonorous; it whistles well, 

 and repeats the notes of the canary admirably. 

 It may be also taught to speak several languages, 

 and to repeat long sentences. Slitting their 

 tongues, in order to make them talk the plainer, 

 is a cruel and useless expedient, as they are 

 very docile and attentive, and will soon learn to 

 articulate, when proper pains are taken with 

 them. They can pronounce the letter R very 

 distinctly. In a state of confinement it will eat 

 small pieces of raw flesh, or bread soaked in wa- 

 ter: but, like other species of birds deprived of 

 their liberty, they are subject to epilepsy; and it 

 has been asserted, that their flesh is a specific for 

 the disease in the human subject. 



M. de Montbeillard asserts, that an action at 

 law was brought for the purpose of recovering a 

 starling which tbe plaintiff asserted, he had en- 

 trusted to the care of the defendant, who under- 

 took to teach the bird to speak, whistle, sing, 



