16 BRITISH BIRDS. 



its good offices for tlie icst of the year ; wliilst of that of oiig-stcaliug, 

 there cau be little doubt that it is most wrongfully aeeiised. Gray aud 

 Sasby bring forwai-d very conclusive evideuee of this bird's evil propen- 

 sities, but such instances are onl}- exceptional. "Watertou's defence of the 

 Stai'liug leaves no room for further remark. 



In autumn, when the young are all reared aud family cares arc over for 

 the year, the habits of the Starling are the most interesting and easiest to 

 observe. The birds are now at liberty to follow their gregarious instincts 

 to the full, and the size of the flocks is sometimes almost beyond belief. 

 The smaller floeks, chietly composed of young bii'ds, join together; the 

 old birds unite with them, until caeh district possesses its floek. In the 

 daytime they may be seen on the fields and marshy lands in seareh of 

 food, or on the tree-tops, which they almost blacken with their numbers, 

 keeping up an incessant babel of sounds. Their e\olutions in the air at 

 this period are also highly interesting, especially at nightfall, ore they 

 finally settle down to roost. It is astonishing how regular the fiock will 

 Avheel and gyrate in the air, as though moved by one common impulse. 

 They appear like a huge net as it hovers for a moment above the reed-bed 

 where they roost — now the horizon seems elouded v ith their numbers as 

 they turn full towards the obscr\ er ; the next moment they will turn 

 rapidly, seeming to disappeai' ; then appear again iu a elustering mass, 

 to turn and poise, spread, close up, rise, and descend ere alighting. 

 Regularly caeh night the bii'ds repair to certain roosting-places. Some- 

 times the flock will divide into se> eral portions, each to seek a diflfereut 

 roosting-place, uniting again at dawn. These clouds of Starlings often 

 assume various shapes as they pass through the air, sometimes like huge 

 balloons, then changing to a spiral, or spread out like a net, and some- 

 times like a thin indistinct wreath of smoke. Sometimes a flock will 

 roost in a large wood, a plantation, or more frequently in a low shrubbery. 

 These places are a common rendezvous for all the birds in the district ; 

 flock joins flock ; and their aerial movements and babel of cries make the 

 place, ornithologieally, a most interesting one. At this season of the vear 

 Starlings often congregate witli Rooks aud Jackdaws on the pastures, aud 

 later in the year with Redwings. AVheu alarmed, the Stai'lings, as if to a 

 bird obeying a commander's voice, fly oft" in a compact mass, aud if the 

 danger soon passes they will wheel aud return again in the greatest order. 

 The Rooks aud Daws will scurry oft' in all directions, and the Red«iuo-s 

 will seek the nearest trees in a long straggling train, but the Starlings socio 

 to act under one common impulse. During the whole winter Starliun-s are 

 very erratic in their movements; tliey lead a nomad kind of life, wandeiino- 

 about the country in seareh of food, or even extending their journeys 

 across the sea if the ^^'intcr be severe. A tow individuals, who prefer to 

 lead a hermit-life instead of joining the bustle of " Society," may almost 



