ARE STARLINGS DOUBLE-BROODED? 
Rev. HENRY H. SLATER, M.A., F Z.S., M.B.O.U., 
Vicar of Irchester, Northamptonshire. 
I THINK that it is about a couple of years since Mr. Mitchell asked 
this question in ‘ The Naturalist.’ He asked me the same question 
privately, but I had not given the matter sufficient attention to 
express a decided opinion either way. I have, however, been paying 
some attention to it this spring (1890), and have come to the conclusion 
that, at all events in a large number of cases, the question at the 
head of this must be answered in the affirmative. The following 
circumstance, amongst others, seemed to me tolerably conclusive. 
It was one day in the first week of June 1890, towards evening, 
that I and my two elder boys disturbed a flock of some hundred 
Starlings from a small wooded island in the lake which lies in the 
middle of the Park near here. They were preparing to roost, and 
we were close to them. There was not one old bird amongst them. 
They were all brown young birds of the year, but strong on the 
wing and well feathered. There were plenty of old birds flying 
about the park, but singly, and evidently still feeding young ones, for 
their bills were often full of food, and they were often dropping 
*things’ which fell heavily on the surface of the lake. There are 
many old elms in the park, with woodpecker holes, which Starlings 
inherit, and are very partial to. 
But I never knew with certainty of Starlings laying two con- 
secutive clutches of eggs in the same hole ; or only in the case of so 
desirable a spot as a pigeon-cote of the old-fashioned kind on a pole. 
There were many birds—too many to observe closely-~and many 
holes, but certainly these latter seemed to be appropriated without 
€xception from March to June. 
But there is a reason why Starlings might easily prefer not to rear 
two broods in the same year in the same nest. Starlings, as most 
Sufficient accuracy. ‘That can only be done where they are strictly 
Protected, and where there are individual birds who, from some 
Peculiarity, can be recognised. 
t seems appropriate to add, that a Hedge Sparrow this morning 
ella 1890) laid her fourth egg in her third nest this season in the 
Y 89x, , 
