THE ZooLocist—May, 1876. 4925 
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Bewick says ‘that it is an original peculiarity,” and Waterton also says 
“That he kept two young rooks in a cage, and the feathers in course of 
time dropped out, although they had no opportunity of thrusting their bills 
in earth.” TI am of the opinion that the starling thrusts its beak shut into 
the ground, for this reason: I hada tame starling, which, if you put your 
hand closed into the cage, would thrust its beak between the fingers, and 
endeavour to force them apart with greater strength than one would 
imagine.—C. Matthew Prior. 
Starlings Pecking with Beak Open.—My letter to you on the subject of 
starlings pecking the ground with their beaks open has led to quite a dis- 
cussion, and your contributors have produced abundant evidence that it is 
a common and well-known fact. Their mode of doing it is not yet settled. 
That they sometimes thrust the beak in closed, and afterwards open it, is 
very likely, but I am sure, from observation, that they very often—I think 
I may say generally—thrust it into the grass open, and this is what I 
wished to express in my first letter to you.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
Mode of Starling’s Feeding.—A gentleman friend of mine has now in 
his possession a starling, which he reared from the nest, and, should it live 
until June next, it will then be twelve years of age, during the whole of 
which time my friend has never seen it peck with its beak open, but the 
opening of the beak during feeding is a matter of daily occurrence ; for ten 
years past the same bird has been under my frequent observation, and I can 
fully corroborate my friend’s statement, and, on account of there being 
illness in the house for five or six weeks past, I have been a daily visitor to 
the house, and have taken the opportunity of watching the starling whilst 
feeding, and have observed that when first the food is placed in the cage 
(the food consisting chiefly of soaked bread, with, occasionally, chopped meat 
or hard boiled egg) all the choice bits are carefully taken off the surface, then 
the beak is thrust, while closed, to the bottom of the cup, and widely 
opened by pressing back the lower mandible, and the choice bits below the 
surface are rapidly selected, after which the bread is eaten. The bird is also 
very fond of cold boiled potato, which is given to it whole, but in eating it 
there is no pecking at it with open beak, or opening of the beak more than 
in ordinary feeding ; again, if the lady of the house will take any favourite 
morsel, and place it between her lips, so as to hide it from sight, the beak 
will be inserted, whilst closed, between the lips, then opened, and the food 
taken from the lady's mouth, but there will be no pecking with open beak. 
From the observations I have been able to make, I am decidedly of opinion 
that starlings do not peck with their beaks open, but that they make use of 
the action of opening their beaks to thrust aside the grass or other herbage 
amongst which they are feeding, in order to see grubs or any other food that 
may be found there on the surface. I do not fancy they ever thrust their 
beaks into the solid earth. My friend suggests the action may be of use, 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. XI. 2c 
