THE STARLING. 339 
The common STARLING is one of the handsomest of our British birds, 
the bright mottlings of its plumage, the vivacity of its movements, and the 
elegance of its form, rendering it a truly beautiful bird. 
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COMMON STARLING.—(Sturnus vulgaris.) 
It is very common in all parts of the British Isles, as well as in many 
other countries, and assembles in vast flocks of many thousands in number, 
enormous accessions being made to their ranks after the breeding season. 
These vast assemblies are seen to best advantage in the fenny districts, where 
they couch for the night amid the osiers and aquatic plants, and often crush 
whole acres to the ground by their united weight. In their flight the Starlings 
are most wonderful birds, each flock, no matter how large its dimensions, 
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