NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 
417 
clierries. They are, like rooks, insectivorous and vermin ivoroiis, 
and, I may say, tickivorous, for we often see them on the backs 
of sheep and cattle. I saw one yesterday taking a siesta on the 
sunny side of a sheep's Heece, apparently wanting nothing but 
a pipe to complete his quiet enjoyment.'' 
T. A., in Land and Water, thus writes : — -''One of the most 
interesting sights to be witnessed in the neighbourhood of the 
Broads of I^orfolk, at this season of the year, is the congregation of 
vast numbers of starlings, which appear to be on a migratory tour 
to some distant land. A few days since the writer was walking 
in one of his marshes, about half-a-mile from one of the Broads, 
when his attention was attracted to one of the grandest sights 
lie ever witnessed in the flight of birds. At first he thought he 
was looking at what appeared as a cloud of smoke from one of the 
numerous pumping mills. It rapidly assumed many fantastic 
shapes, sometimes as a fluttering ribbon with frizzled ends, then 
as a huge balloon, and, to crown all, as a waterspout^ the spout 
being formed by the birds descending in a silvery line, with the 
rapidity of rooks, to settle amongst the reeds, leaving a large 
mass to sail away at great altitude, in the shape of a huge ball, 
to some neighbouring broads. Starlings ought never to be shot; 
they are the farmers' best friends ; they are patterns of industry, 
ever doing good, excepting in the breeding season, when they 
pull the thatch about. They are great friends to sheep, ever on 
the watch to lessen the number of those pests of the sheep 
which tell the farmer his flock requires to undergo a dipping 
process." — T. A. (October 25, 1875.) 
Mr. Davy informs me that Wormwood Scrubs used to be a cele- 
brated place for birdcatching, especially for starlings. He has 
caught there from two to four dozen starlings at one pull of 
the net. The nets must be laid so as to begin catching at 
dawn. By eleven o'clock starlings are " fed up " and are off ; 
they go for shelter in the woods, to get out of the heat of the 
sun. Five or six dummies — i.e., stuffed starlings- — are placed 
in the nets to attract the wild birds, and also one live bird on 
a " flur stick." The autumn is the best time to catch starlings. 
They soon get very artful. It is necessary to " take a cut " at them 
— that is, pull the net sharp the moment they get within reach 
of it. They will often hover over the net, not making up their 
minds to go in. This is the time to " cut them in." The birds 
about August being mostly young are not " up to the game 
that is, the net work — but they will very soon learn it and gee 
artful. The market for starlings is for shooting matches. 
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