THE ROSE-COLOURED STARLING. 31 



informed by our friend Guido von Gonzenbach, 

 that the Rose-coloured Starlings had bred in the 

 previous spring (1871) in enormous numbers in 

 the neighbourhood of Smyrna, and had devoured 

 the grubs and locusts to the admiration of the 

 peasantry. They fixed upon some village unknown 

 as a central breeding place, and more than 200 

 of their eggs were brought in to Mr. Gonzenbach ; 

 but all his information being Greek, he was 

 unable to find the locality. After many inquiries, 

 we succeeded in discovering it amongst the hills. 

 It appeared to be deserted, not a soul could we 

 find ; everybody was down in the valley harvest- 

 ing. At last we met an old man travelling with a 

 mule, buying up fleeces of sheep from the peasants. 

 •He told us that he had travelled all the country 

 round, and could assure us that there was not a 

 bird to be found of the kind we sought. He told 

 us that last year the birds swarmed in thousands 

 in the valley below, and had built nests like Black- 

 birds in the clefts of the rocks and on the stony 

 ground on the steep hill-sides. That year (1872) 

 he said that they had arrived in great numbers, 

 but at the expiration of a week, had suddenly 

 disappeared." 



