THE ZooLocist—MarcH, 1876. 4837 
on the subject. The beak of a starling seems to be an inferior instru- 
ment, or at least wielded with very inferior power to that of a blackbird 
or a thrush.— W. Southall; Almeley, Sir Harry’s Road, Birmingham, 
February 14, 1876. 
Starlings Pecking with Beak open.—Some years ago I had a tame 
starling, which was a most impudent though confiding little pet, and often 
afforded us many pleasant moments watching his interesting habits. One 
of his most favourite amusements was to perch on the back of one’s hand, 
or stand close to it when it was extended flat on the ground with the 
fingers pressed close together. He would then insert his beak between 
the fingers, open his lower mandible, and strive to force them apart, 
peering, when he had accomplished this feat, for anything which might be 
hidden beneath, and was often rewarded for his trouble by the discovery of 
some tid-bit which had been placed there for his especial benefit. From 
watching the habits of this pet, added to careful observations made a few 
days ago as four birds were feeding beneath our windows at Instow, I have 
come to the conclusion that the beak is not thrust into the ground open, 
but that immediately it has pierced the ground to its base the lower 
mandible is opened to its widest extent, and the bird, whose eyes are fixed 
so near the base of its bill, can easily detect and secure any creature in the 
little round space it has opened out to view. Tame jackdaws that I kept 
had also the habit of pushing their beak between one’s fingers, and trying 
to prize them apart by suddenly opening the lower mandible ; and I dare 
say many of your readers have noticed a jackdaw place its beak beneath a 
stone, and endeavour to raise or turn it over by the above movement. My 
little starling was a most knowing creature, and it was great fun watching 
him with a piece of bread and butter: there was no digging or pecking 
then, but he deliberately turned his head down, and with a side motion of 
his lower mandible against the upper, completely scraped off all the butter, 
without eating a morsel of the bread; but, with all his little quaint ways, 
he was—like his companions, the jackdaws—a terrible thief.—Gervase F. 
Mathew ; H.M.S. ‘ Britannia,’ Dartmouth. 
Migration of Rooks.—In Mr. Stevenson's notes for November (Zool. 8.8. 
7466) he remarks on the large increase of rooks, apparently migratory, at 
Northrepps and Sheringham on the 7th. In a letter which I received from 
Heligoland, dated Christmas Day, 1875, Mr. Gitke says, speaking of this 
last autumn’s migration, “an abundance of rooks there has been, as nobody 
ever witnessed before on this island: these last ten years together have 
certainly not seen here so many of these birds as this one autumn alone.”— 
John Cordeaux; February 3, 1876. 
Jackdaws with Pied Heads.—Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., in the ‘ Zoologist’ 
for February (S. S. 4797), mentions two instances of jackdaws with pied 
heads. I can now adda third, which came under my notice some years 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. XI. P 
