Maurice Amsler—The Breeding of the Amethyst Starling 299


Three days after leaving the nest the young bird was almost as big

as his mother, but had an odd little cocked-up tail, which gave him

a very perky appearance. Both parents, but chiefly the hen, fed

assiduously—a few green cabbage caterpillars were used. Wasp

grubs were not much appreciated except in the absence of other

live food.


Both birds at this time warbled quite nicely and the male when

excited had a habit, not seen before, of lifting each wing alternately,

very suggestive of a man putting on his overcoat.


From 1st September onwards for a few days the old birds were often

seen carrying dead leaves. No sign, however, was found of a new

nest or of additions to the old one.


On \he above date, much to our horror, we found signs of a rat

working in the outer flights of their aviary and the next. Every sort

of rat trap and gin was set in safe places, and I even took a dog into the

aviary and sat up with a gun, but saw nothing of the marauder until

some three days later when he was caught by the leg in a gin and

promptly dispatched. He had gnawed and scratched his way up a

4 in. by 4 in. post which was a little rotten below the ground level.


We breathed again !


By the 7th September we deemed that our baby was no longer

a baby, but independent, for he was frequently seen at the soft food

dish. The parents swallowed most of the mealworms when each

ration was thrown out, and by the end of the month he was only

distinguishable from his mother by the absence of a leg ring, and by

the fact that the }^ellow skin lines at the corners of the gape were just

visible.


I am not aware that the Amethyst Starling has ever been bred

before, either in this country or on the Continent ; at any rate, I hope

not, for I should much like to earn one more medal for my last notable

success at Eton.


Next year all my birds will, I hope, be more suitably housed on

fresh ground in the open country, near Hawkhurst, in Kent, and I expect

to have more success. When I first put up my present aviaries over

twenty years ago my birds bred very well and several were “ first

timers Of late only the easier species have done really well and I have



