BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



There are many notes in the * Zoologist,' all of 

 which tend to prove the usefulness of the Starling, 

 amongst which I may specially quote one by Mr. 

 Cordeaux : he says that during a very dry summer 

 Starlings collected in a field of vetches, and an old 

 labourer remarked to him, " Them Starns are 

 getting no end of them tares : " suspecting the same 

 himself he shot two for examination, and on opening 

 them found the stomach crammed with insects : 

 there were several earwigs and some small bronze- 

 winged beetles ; the rest was a mass of a large green 

 Aphis : he continues, " On examining the vetches, I 

 found the stems literally crowded with this green 

 nuisance, and these, with an occasional beetle, &c., 

 appeared to be the entire food of the Starlings." 

 The Starling is also very fond of feeding on ticks 

 and other parasitical insects which are to be found 

 in sheep's wool, and may often be seen enjoying a 

 quiet ride on a sheep's back and at the same time 

 getting a very good dinner. 



The Starling has a very curious habit of soaring 

 and wheeling about high in the air, so high as at 

 times to be nearly out of sight, much after the 

 manner of the Swift : this habit I have often noticed, 

 but only on a fine clear day, and generally on such 

 a day between two stormy ones, or else, but not so 

 often, just before or after very bad weather : this 

 habit has been noticed by many writers in the 

 'Zoologist;' but they all seem to be of opinion 



