THE MYNA 
53 
hatch out the dirty brown grub known as leather 
jacket. (See “Grass Grub Beetle” and Crane Fly, 
Part I.)- . 
HABITS—Communistic, except at nesting times. 
May be seen in flocks of hundreds, or even thou¬ 
sands, in remarkable flight, wheeling, rising, falling, 
opening out, etc., as if obeying the signals of their 
leaders. Like the Thrush, the Starling is seldom 
seen very far from the haunts of human beings. 
It prefers walking to hopping, but does both. 
NEST (See pp. 43, 46)—Builds in the oddest 
places imaginable—letter-box, wash-house chimney, 
tool-shed (sometimes actually amongst the tools), 
eaves or chimney of dwelling house. 
NOTES—Is much blamed for depredations in the 
orchards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has 
made an exhaustive study of the Starling s food 
during each month of the year. The contents of 
“crops” of 2,157 birds were examined, and the 
results proved that three-quarters of this, bird s 
total food supply consists of weevils and insects, 
also that in only two months of the year does the 
quantity of fruit eaten amount to one-tenth of its 
food and never more than this in any month. In 
late autumn and winter, each of its feathers has 
a buff-coloured tip which produces the character¬ 
istic speckled appearance of its plumage. 
THE MYNA 
SONG—Very harsh call on two notes, repeated 
twice or thrice. 
Key C : .s | d’.:-s | d’.:.s | d’ 
DESCRIPTION—Name sometimes spelt “Myna” 
• and “Minah.” Upper parts, medium brown and 
