52 NATURE STUDY NOTES 
female Thrush, but has a longer tail which it flits 
about on alighting. (See p. 59.) 
FOOD—Worms, slugs, grubs and fruit. A great 
pest to the orchardist. 
NEST (See pp. 43, 46)—In bushes, hedges, ledges 
of rock, trunks of trees, etc. Lays 4, 5 or 6 eggs. 
HABITS—Prefers the bush to the haunts o.f men. 
Is found in its furthest depths all over New Zealand 
except north of Whangarei. Only comes near 
houses when shortage of food in the bush. Usually 
. sings best in October when its notes are the first 
to be heard at dawn and the last at night-fall in 
the Auckland district. 
THE STARLING 
SONG \ arious long whistles, very similar to 
that of a human being, e.g., the farmer’s whistle 
for his dog—usually falling gradually in pitch to the 
extent of three or four tones. After a short pause, 
this whistle is frequently succeeded by a guttural 
click-click sound, repeated and continued for dura¬ 
tion of half-a-minute. Ihe Starling sometimes 
flutters its wings whilst making this sound. 
DESCRIPTION— Plumage, glossy black, inter¬ 
mingled with shades of bronze, green and dark 
purple. Bill, lemon yellow in summer and autumn, 
gradually changing to black in winter. 
b OOD Grubs, insects and fruits, the two former 
including many of the farmers’ pests, e.g., the grass 
grub which, if not destroyed, changes to the copper- 
brown beetle, another pest—sheep ticks, and the 
crane fly (Daddy Longlegs), the eggs of which 
