THE STARLING. 
81 
that of sucking their eggs, there would soon be hue 
and cry against it ; nor would the uproar cease until 
the victor had driven away the vanquished. So 
certain am I that the starling never sucks the eggs 
of other birds, that, when I see him approach the 
dovecot, I often say to him, " Go in, poor bird, and 
take thy rest m peace. Not a servant of mine shall 
surprise thee, or hurt a feather of thy head. Thou 
dost not come for eggs, but for protection ; and this 
most freely I will give to thee. I will be thy friend 
in spite of all the world has said against thee ; and 
here, at least, thou shalt find a place of safety for 
thyself and little ones. Thy innocence and useful- 
ness demand this at my hands." 
The starling is gregarious ; and I am satisfied in 
my own mind that the congregated masses of this 
bird are only dissolved at the vernal equinox, be- 
cause they have not sufficient opportunities afforded 
them of places wherein to build their nests. If those 
opportunites were offered them, we should see them 
breeding here in multitudes as numerous as the rook. 
They require a place for their nest, well protected 
from the external air. The inside of the roof of 
a house, a deep hole in a tower, or in the decayed 
trunk or branch of a tree, are places admirably 
adapted for the incubation of the starling ; and he 
will always resort to them, provided he be unmo- 
lested. The same may be said of the jackdaw. 
Attentive observation led me to believe that the 
great bulk of starlings left our neighbourhood in the 
spring, solely for want of proper accommodation for 
their nests. For many years, only two pairs of 
