DO STARLINGS PAIR FOR LIFE i 239 



had a constant succession of little flocks in the 

 field from morning till night, and I found from 

 counting the birds in each small group that in three 

 cases in four they were in even numbers. Again, 

 I have often seen a group of three, five, seven or 

 nine birds on the field, and after a while a solitary 

 starling from a neighbouring field or from some 

 tree top near by has flown down to join the group and 

 make the numbers even. 



The birds when feeding, I have said, are always 

 in a desperate hurry, and little wonder, since after 

 a night, usually wet and cold, of from sixteen to 

 eighteen hours and only about six to feed in, they must 

 be in a half-starved state and frantic to find something 

 to swallow. No sooner do they alight than they 

 begin running about, prodding with their beaks, 

 and all the time advancing, the birds keeping pretty 

 well abreast. Now, from time to time you will 

 notice that a bird finds something to delay him and 

 is left behind by the others. On they go prod, 

 prod, then a little run, then prod, prod again and 

 run again while he, excited over his find and 

 vigorously digging at the roots of the grass, lets them 

 go on without him until he is yards behind. When- 

 ever this happens you will see one of the advancing 

 birds pause in its prodding to look back from time 

 to time as if anxious about the one left behind ; and 

 by and by this same bird, its anxiety increasing, 



