THE STARLINGS 



we may see these 



we look out of the window soon after sunrise, 

 birds doing the same worlc on our lawns. 



The grub of which they catch the greatest number is that of the 

 daddy-long-legs. The farmers call this grub the " leather-jacket ", 

 because its skin is so tough that it almost seems as though it were 

 made of leather. 



This is a very 

 mischievous insect, 

 for it eats the roots 

 of corn and grass, 

 and of many other 

 crops, and so kills 

 them. And there- 

 fore the farmer, 

 when he notices a 

 flock of starlings 

 hard at work in his 

 fields, ought to feel 

 thankful that he has 

 a band of such good 

 friends to help him. 



As the starling 

 is one of those birds 

 which can be taught 

 to talk, it is some- 

 times caught and 

 kept in a cage as a 

 pet. Some cruel 

 people slit its tongue with a 

 it will talk better afterwards. 



Starlings 



sixpence, because they think that 

 But this is, of course, a mistake, 

 and the poor bird suffers a great deal of needless pain, and some- 

 times even dies from the injury. 



We do not often see a solitary starling, for it is one of those 

 birds which likes to live in large flocks. Thousands and thousands 

 of starlings may often be seen together, all seeming to be under one 

 leader. When he turns, they turn. When he rests, they rest. And 

 in some wonderful way he gives the word of command to them, so 



