consumption of wire-worm, turnip-fly, daddy long-legs, 

 and countless other animals of whose scientific designa- 

 tion I am as ignorant as of those just mentioned. 

 Besides from the direct benefit to man to which I have 

 alluded, the Starling from its beauty, its sprightly 

 manners, its cheery notes, and its pleasant famiUarity is 

 worthy of protection and encouragement. Tew more 

 interesting " bird-shows " are to be seen in our Islands 

 than a vast assemblage of Starhngs wheeling over their 

 roosting-places in the reed-beds of our fen-districts, or 

 the small coverts that they generally select as dormitories 

 in more elevated localities. In this connection I may 

 mention that several instances have come to my know- 

 ledge of the sudden desertion of a favourite roosting- 

 resort of Starlings without any apparent cause, and on 

 the other hand I am assured by a friend who resides in 

 the extreme west of Devon that although some forty 

 years ago the Starling was a somewhat scarce bird in his 

 neighbourhood, one of his plantations has now become 

 the nightly resort of many thousands of these birds 

 dm-ing the autumn and winter months. There has been a 

 considerable amount of discussion and controversy as to 

 the number of broods yearly reared by a pair of Starlings, 

 some observers maintaining that only one brood is 

 reared, whilst others say that three broods are not 

 infrequently brought to maturity in the spring and 

 summer of a single year by the same parents. From 

 my own personal observation, I am inclined to think 

 that two broods is rather the rule than the exception ; 1 

 cannot recall any instance of three having come to my 

 knowledge. The imitative powers of the Starling in 



