Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/165

Rh the whole body of birds descends like an avalanche, with a mighty rushing sound of wings, and covers every tree, shrub, and reed with a living freight so heavy that they bend almost to the earth beneath their burden. Now ensues a perfect babel of chatter, which continues for several minutes, till the last "good nights" have been said, and darkness and silence descend on the scene. The effect of any sudden sound, such as the stroke of an oar falling flat on the water, is startling. Instantly the thousands of Starlings rise into the air uttering cries of alarm, with much fluttering of wings, only to resettle the next minute, amid congratulatory murmurs of satisfaction, till silence is again restored.

Not always, however, is the scene thus peaceful. If there is a Sparrowhawk in the vicinity that has not fallen a victim to the keeper's gun—alas, how few do escape—it can hardly fail to discover such a happy hunting-ground as this. Two of my correspondents mention that Sparrowhawks have been seen haunting the roosts, and occasionally dashing into the throng to seize a Starling, its companions fleeing in every direction with mournful terror-stricken screams.

Midnight. All quiet.

Morning dawns. The Starlings begin to wake and twitter, and preen their feathers. Before the sun is well up they are off; scattered all over the country to their daily avocation of picking up their food. Now, however, instead of keeping together in families, they go about in small parties, and this habit they retain throughout the remainder of the year.

We now approach the most difficult part of our subject—the movements of Starlings between the middle of November (when the big roosts are nearly deserted) and the following spring, when they return to their nesting-places. It would only weary the reader to state all the little details upon which the following conclusions are based, so I will here only indicate briefly what I believe to be the actual facts. In order to make the matter clear, it will facilitate matters if we divide our native Starlings into three main groups: — (2) Starlings in towns. (3) Starlings in the country.
 * (1) Starlings that migrate.