122 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
examples from India. Pillai mentions about 17 species which
had been observed indulging in this habit.
The fourth of our continents is Europe and although anting
has been recorded in other of its, countries I propose to devote
attention to Britain. For the earliest evidence of anting in this
country we must consult an Australian journal and this evidence
specially affects Essex. For this reason I quote the contribution
in full. The following letter appeared in The Emu, vol. 34, p. 248.
Sir,—A. H. Chisholm in his interesting Bird Wonders of Australia
states that there is nothing in text-books to indicate that Starlings in
Britain place ants under their wings and thus the suggestion arises that
the habit has been cultivated since Starlings were introduced into
Australia. This curious behaviour has been known to me for some
years, although I have never been fortunate enough to see British
Starlings thus employed. But my attention was drawn to the habit by
an Essex man who, when I was in England, asked me whether I had
ever watched Starlings collecting insects and placing them under their
wings. He told me that I would see them in the autumn walking about
on the lawn, picking up insects and stowing them under their wings.
It was his belief that they did so prior to migrating (seasonal migration
from one part of England to another) in order to have food with them
when needed. . . . Whether his theory is more correct than that of the
placing of ants under the wing for the control of parasites I cannot say,
but it indicates that this habit is an old-standing one in the Starling
family and I believe it dates back prior to their introduction into
Australia. Yours, etc., Perrine Moncrieff, Nelson, N.Z. November
7th, 1934.
We must now have examples of the performance as witnessed
in the British Isles. The earliest of these known to me is that
given by Major R. S. P. Bates (Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc,
vol. 39, p. 394) writing on January 8th, 1937. His wife and
he were attracted by the peculiar antics of a Song-Thrush in
Folkestone, Kent. Although they approached to within six or
eight feet it continued to bathe in red ants which were issuing
from a crack in the flags. Not only did it pick up one, two or
sometimes three ants in quick succession and stuff them between
the tail feathers, into the tail-coverts, primaries, and under the
wings, but with tail and wings outspread, it often wallowed
amongst the ants which could be seen swarming all over it. It
did not appear to be swallowing the ants and he could see many
motionless dots on the plumage, which he was certain were
squashed ants.
A variant of this is described by Mr. W. Baggaley (British
Birds, vol. 39, p. 212) who writes that a curious performance by
Starlings was one of the sights of the London Zoo before the war.
Near the canal there was a large ants' nest which was alive with
ants. Starlings—always an odd bird—repeatedly alighted on
the nest and indulged in what appeared to him to be something