consumption of wire-worm, turnip-fly, daddy long-legs, 

 and countless other animals of wliose scientific designa- 

 tion I am as ignorant as of those just mentioned. 

 Besides from the direct benefit to man to which I have 

 alluded, the Starling from its beauty, its sprightly 

 manners, its cheery notes, and its pleasant familiarity is 

 worthy of protection and encouragement. Pew more 

 interesting " bird-shows " are to be seen in our Islands 

 than a vast assemblage of Starlings wheeling over their 

 roosting-places in the reed-beds of our fen-districts, or 

 the small coverts that they generally select as dormitories 

 in more elevated localities. In this connection I may 

 mention that several instances have come to my know- 

 ledge of the sudden desertion of a favourite roosting- 

 resort of Starlings without any apparent cause, and on 

 the other hand I am assured by a friend who resides in 

 the extreme west of Devon that although some forty 

 years ago the Starling was a somewhat scarce bird in his 

 neighbourhood, one of his plantations has now become 

 the nightly resort of many thousands of these birds 

 during the autumn and winter months. There has been a 

 considerable amount of discussion and controversy as to 

 the number of broods yearly reared by a pair of Starlings, 

 some observers maintaining that only one brood is 

 reared, whilst others say that three broods are not 

 infrequently brought to maturity in the spring and 

 summer of a single year by the same parents. From 

 my own personal observation, I am inclined to think 

 that two broods is rather the rule than the exception ; X 

 cannot recall any instance of three having come to my 

 knowledge. The imitative powers of the Starling in 



