BlKDS. 



77 



however, due to any slackening of her efforts, but 

 to the fact that she had been over the same 

 ground several times before, and the supply was 

 naturally growing limited. Sometimes she flew up 

 to her nest with only one grub in her bill, but 

 generally two and occasionally even three. As 

 some of the "leather-jackets" took a good deal of 

 persuading to leave their hiding-places in the hard- 

 baked earth, the practical bird, upon discovering 

 the whereabouts of a fresh one whilst she had a 

 captive already in her possession, put the prisoner 

 down upon the ground close by and let it lie there 

 until she had extracted her new find. 



Gardeners are sometimes disposed to be hard 

 on starlings. It 

 may be interesting 

 to some of them 

 to know that I 

 watched that in- 

 dividual bird kill 

 sixteen " leather- 

 jackets " in ten 

 minutes. As she 

 did not appear to 

 receive the slightest 

 help from her male 

 companion, I 

 thought I would 

 render her some 



little assistance, SO, MALE STARLING. 



