STURNnxas. 213 



roost, they do considerable damage to the ever- 

 greens, in consequence of the great quantity of 

 guano deposited, which poisons the plants. In 

 other ways the Starling is a most useful hird, feed- 

 ing on grubs and insects. M. Prevost gives strong 

 evidence of the usefulness of this bird in his list of 

 food, which is as follows : " January, worms, grubs 

 of cockchaffers and grubs in dung ; February, grubs, 

 snails and slugs ; March, grubs of cockchaffers and 

 snails ; April, the same ; May, the same and grass- 

 hoppers ; June, flies and grubs of various flies ; 

 July, grubs and fresh-water shell-fish ; August, flies, 

 glow-worms and various beetles ;* September, green 

 locusts, grubs of carrion-beetles and worms ; Octo- 

 ber, worms and beetles ; November, snails, slugs 

 and grubs. In summer it adds fruit and in winter 

 hips, haws and buds of trees." This list certainly 

 gives the Starling a most excellent character for 

 general usefulness to man by the destruction of 

 noxious insects, and although fruit is added to the 

 list I have never myself caught this bird stealing 

 fruit or heard any abuse of it from the gardener ; I 

 have, however, seen it eating ivy berries. 



* The gizzard of one I examined this August was filled 

 with small brown beetles and a little grass that it had pro- 

 bably picked up with them ; and in each of two others shot 

 at Burnham, I found a small snail, the rest of the gizzards 

 being filled with various parts of beetles. 



