IS THE STARLING DOUBLE-BROODED? 373 



Regarding the question ' is the Starling double-brooded ?' I have 

 made careful observation this summer. A pair of Starlings nested 

 in a hole in the wall of the church here, and the young birds left the 

 nest the last week in May. Another pair built in a spout on my 

 premises, and the young birds also safely left the nest at the end of 

 May. Both these pairs of Starlings reared second broods, which left 

 the nest during the second week in July. I also saw other Starlings 

 busy carrying feathers to other nesting-places at the end of June, 

 undoubtedly repairing their nests to rear a second brood. — 

 F. G. S. RawsoNj Thorpe, Halifax, August ist, 1889. 



The season has approached again for me and others to prove 

 that the Starling (Stur/ius vulgaris) rears more than one brood in a 

 season. This year, 1889, in the same nesting-sites where I have 

 observed them for forty years, I can vouch that on May 30th a clutch 

 came out from one nest, which was cared for by the old birds, who 

 still at the same time proceeded with repairing the old nest up again. 

 On June 12th it was examined and found to be in readiness for 

 more eggs, and on July 5th inst. I, along with others, saw the parents 

 bring food and heard the young in the nest chirping whilst being 

 served. — John Ward, Pymont House, Lofthouse, July 6th, 1889. 



In The Naturalist for April and May 1889 there are notices in 

 connection with the double-brooding of the Starling. In support 

 of this, permit me to give facts which have come under my obser- 

 vation. 



In a hollow tree not far from here, there have, for the last ten or 

 twelve years, been two broods of Starlings. In another hollow tree 

 there has been one brood of Starlings for at least thirty years, and 

 for most of the period two broods. In the same tree, and in the same 

 hole, I have several times known a brood of Rock Doves {Columba 

 livid) [? Stock Dove {Columba cvnas)\ and what is more remarkable, 

 on one occasion, about twelve years since, there was also in the same 

 hole a brood of the Spotted Flycatcher {Muscicapa grisola), which, 

 however, perished during a heavy fall of rain that occurred before 

 they were fully fledged. 



These facts respecting the Starling do not, of course,, prove that 

 it is generally double-brooded, and I have not followed out my 

 observations sufficiently to make it clear that the two broods 

 occurring in the year were by the same pair of birds, although I am 

 inclined to think that such was the case in many instances. — C. W. 

 Smith, Harum, Nawton, York, May 23rd, 1889. 



Dec. T889. 



