Ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana).—A summer visitor to Europe. Several specimens have been obtained in the British Islands, mostly in the south and east of England.
Rustic bunting (Emberiza rustica).—Breeds in North-eastern Europe and Northern Siberia. A rare straggler to Britain.
Little bunting (Emberiza pusilla), from North-eastern Europe and Siberia. Has been taken once in England.
Lapland bunting (Calcarius lapponica).—A circumpolar species breeding in the arctic regions. Occasionally straggles to this country.
Starling.
Sturnus vulgaris.
Black with purple and green reflections, the upper feathers tipped with pale buff; under tail-coverts edged with white; beak yellow; feet flesh-colour tinged with brown. Female: spotted below as well as above. Young: uniform ash-brown, unspotted. Length, eight and a half inches.
A compactly built bird with a short, square tail, strong legs and feet, and a long, sharp beak, the starling does not excel in beauty of figure or grace of carriage; his lines are rather indicative of strength; he looks what he is—a plodding digger in the meadows and pastures, a hardy bird of rook-like habits, able to stand all weathers. But he has a beautiful coat. As in the case of the large corvine species he so frequently associates with when feeding, his richly coloured plumage has a gloss which causes it to shine at times like polished metal in the sunlight. The starling has an added distinction in the spangling of white and buff on the upper parts.
During the greater portion of the year his food consists almost entirely of insects in their different stages. Like the rook, he searches at the roots of the grass for worms and grubs; and there is no doubt that he deserves his reputation of one of the farmer’s feathered helpers. He attends the sheep and cattle in the meadows, and is often seen perching on their backs; the animals take it quietly, and perhaps know that he is on the look-out for ticks, which are a source of irritation to them.
Although a digger and plodder, the starling is very different from his companion, the rook, in manner. The rooks are seen soberly marching about, quartering the ground, each one intent on finding something for himself. The starlings are not nearly so methodical; they run about a great deal on the feeding-ground, and watch and interfere with each other. When one by chance finds a rich treasure, the others are eager to share it, and there are occasional scolding matches, and sometimes downright quarrelling, among them.