REPORTS. 



277 



Starling Imitates Wryneck. 



In an interesting letter to Nature Mr. Basil Rowswell, writing from 

 Guernsey, tells how he has heard the starling imitate the wryneck. On 

 September 22nd, he was surprised to hear what he took to be the wryneck's 

 call clear and distinct as it is usually heard in spring and early summer. Yet, 

 as the writer points out, it is a rare thing to hear this bird after the middle of 

 July. After careful watching, Mr. Rowswell was able to satisfy himself that 

 the notes came from a starling. The imitation was heard again at intervals 

 up to October 6th, and it is suggested that the starling may have been brought 

 up near a wryneck's nest. The starling is known to be a great mimic, and 

 the wryneck's call may well have been learned by this particular starling in 

 the way suggested. 



Other Bird Mimics. 



The blackbird and thrush are perhaps the starling's favourite models. 

 But it may also sometimes be heard to imitate the beautiful notes of the 

 curlew. It may be suggested that it learns these during those migratory 

 movements which take it away from our chimney tops to associate in great 

 flocks with curlews and peewit on the moors and upland pastures. Other of 

 our native birds are imitators in a smaller way. The blackbird has been 

 known on rare occasions to crow like a cock, as well as to cackle like a hen. 

 But it is curious that the bullfinch, which in captivity seems to be one 

 of the best imitators, has no song of its own, nor is it known to imitate any 

 other in a state of nature. 



Barrington's Experiments. 



The faculty of imitation being so strong in many birds, it has been 

 suggested that young birds learn the peculiar song of their kind by direct 

 imitation of their parents. And many years ago the Hon. Davies Barrington, 

 a friend and correspondent of Gilbert White, tried some interesting experi- 

 ments. He reared linnets under skylarks, titlarks, and woodlarks, and found 

 that in every case they learned the song of their foster parents. Some of them 

 thus reared were afterwards hung in a room with linnets, singing their 

 own songs for three months without losing their acquired song. Another 

 of Barrington's linnets learned the song of the African vengolina. 



Basil T. Rowswell, 



Sec. Ornith. Section. 



