THE STAKLING. 329 



About July single birds may be caught by placing an osier 

 fish basket, baited with cherries, among the reeds to which 

 they resort at night. In Thuringia, it is considered the best 

 time to take them when a snow shower occurs after their arri- 

 val in March. A place, near the marshes and ditches which 

 they frequent, is cleared of snow, and set with limed twigs, 

 baited with earth-worms. To this the birds will allow them- 

 selves to be driven, like poultry. 



Attractive Qualities. The Starling becomes exceedingly 

 tame in confinement, and, in respect of docility and sagacity, 

 deserves to be compared with the dog. It is always lively, 

 understands and obeys every gesture and motion of those with 

 whom it lives, and though tottering about with a sober step and 

 stupid appearance, allows nothing to escape its notice. It learns, 

 without having its tongue loosened, to repeat words, whistle 

 airs (a power shared by the females also), and to imitate the 

 voices of men and animals, and the song of birds. It is, how- 

 ever, very uncertain in this respect, as it not only soon forgets 

 what it has learned, but mixes up old and new lessons together, 

 so that entire solitude and silence is essential, if it is desired 

 to teach one of these birds to go through its performance cor- 

 rectly. It is remarkable that this docility is not confined to 

 the young, but is characteristic also of old birds, which have a 

 peculiar harp-like song of their own. As, however, is the 

 case with all birds, this docility is very various in different 

 individuals, and I have one now in my possession which utters 

 its natural song in the midst of all the birds in the aviary. 

 The Starling sings throughout the year, with the exception of 

 the moulting season. 



ADDITIONAL. The Stare, or Starling, is in this country a well- 

 known bird ; it is the smallest of all our resident birds allied to 

 the Corvine, or Crow tribe, and the most beautiful as well as the 

 most harmless, never killing other feathered creatures, or de- 

 stroying their eggs, although it has been accused of doing both, 

 and suffered on that account much persecution. MACGILLIVRAY 

 says, that " the Starling is generally distributed in Britain, but 

 local. It is no where more common than in the northern and 

 western isles of Scotland, where it breeds in caves, crevices of 

 rocks, and holes in the turf." This author, after giving an ani- 

 mated description of one of their breeding places, on the west coast 

 of the Hebrides, thus continues : " The places to which above 



