42 STURNIILE. 



guard or sentinel, as he repeatedly drove off some sparrows 

 that were too inquisitive as to the progress the nest was 

 making. The female, in her arduous task, made on an 

 average, by my watch, three trips per minute, with small 

 twigs and bits of dry grass, which she picked up near 

 the tree. Sometimes she took three or four small ones at 

 one time ; so that at this rate, supposing her to work 

 for only six hours, she would have brought together up- 

 wards of a thousand sticks, &c., which would be more 

 than sufficient to form her nest." 



The Starling builds in church steeples, under eaves, and 

 in holes of houses, towers, or ruins ; sometimes in hollow 

 trees, and often in cliffs, or high rocks overhanging the sea ; 

 occasionally in pigeon-houses. The nest is made of slender 

 twigs, straw, roots, and dry grass ; the eggs are four or 

 five in number, of a uniform delicate pale blue, one inch two 

 lines in length, by ten lines in breadth ; these are hatched in 

 about sixteen days, and the old birds are observed to 

 be most assiduous in their attentions to their nestlings. 

 Soon after the young birds leave the nest, both parents 

 and offspring unite with other families of the same species, 

 forming large flocks, which again associate, and may be 

 seen feeding on commons and grass grounds, in company 

 with Books, and occasionally with other birds. Their 

 food consists of worms, insects in their various stages, and 

 snails ; in default of these they will eat berries and grain. 

 They are frequently seen in meadows, searching for food 

 among sheep and cattle. In the southern countries of 

 Europe they devour ripe grapes and figs. In confinement 

 they appear to prefer raw meat. 



When the young are too much grown to continue to oc- 

 cupy the nest in which they were reared, the nights of 

 summer and autumn being warm, these birds roost by 



