410 BIRD LIFE AT BINGHA1VTS MELCOMBE 



Romans. Martio cognomine insignes, says Pliny of 

 them, et in auspicatu magni. I ought, perhaps, to 

 add that the starling has such a disagreeable odour, 

 and is of such dirty habits, that no fastidious and 

 self-respecting bird, like the woodpecker let alone 

 her peaceful disposition would ever enter a hole 

 that he had long occupied. In vain, did I try to 

 scare away starling after starling, which came "pro- 

 specting " for itself ; and it was not till I had shot 

 four of them in succession that the others gave up 

 their burglarious attempts, and the woodpecker, 

 which, together with her mate, had been sadly look- 

 ing on, from some apple-trees in the adjoining orchard, 

 returned to her hole, pulled out the starling's wisps of 

 hay, laid her eggs, and hatched her young in safety. 

 As I came, day by day, to the hole, the bird would 

 climb up and look out at me with her crimson crest 

 and her beautiful eyes, and then fall back with an 

 " All right ; I see you mean no harm " sort of 

 expression. It was interesting, too, to feel, with 

 the hand, the stifling heat developed inside the hole, 

 as the young birds drew towards maturity in their 

 narrow quarters, and to listen to the extraordinary 

 hissing sound, concentrated and almost demoniacal 

 in its intensity, when I tapped the tree gently 

 outside. It reminded me of what Milton calls the 



