IIIE KED-WIXfiF.n STARI.INfi. 243 



wheat fields liave supplied them with food, of which there Is abundiince, they rise to 

 their aerial manoeuvres, or to rehearse their grand vocal eutertainmcnts. 



About the middle of March they begin to enter Pennsylvania. Thej^ appear iu small 

 but numerous parties, and from daybreak to eight or nine o'clock in the evening chat- 

 tering to each other as they fly along, and, despite the destructive character of their 

 visit, their presence gives cheerful promise of returning spring and beauty. They select 

 their old haunts, preferring meadows, creeks, s\A-amps, and ponds, till about the middle of 

 April, when the)- separate into pairs, and in two or three weeks begin to build their 

 nests. A favourite spot for this purpose is a thicket of alder bushes, a detached bush in 

 a meadow of high grass, or a tuft of rank rushes or grass, especial regard being paid to 

 such neighbourhoods as have swamps, meadows, or other watermg-jDlaces. ^^^Ien the 

 nest is built in a bush, it is generally composed outwardly of wet rushes, picked from the 

 swamp, and long, tough grass in large quantities, the whole being lined with vcrv fine 

 bent. The rushes forming the exterior arc geuerallj- extended to several of the adjoining 

 twigs, round which they are repeatedly and securely twisted — an indispensable precau- 

 tion, on account of the flexible nature of the bushes in which it is placed. The same 

 precaution is observed when a tuft of grass or rushes is selected, the tops being fastened 

 together and intertwined witli the materials of which the nest is formed, with the stalks 

 of rushes around. AVheu placed upon the ground, less care and fewer materials are 

 necessary. It is not luicommon to find several nests in the same thicket, within a few 

 feet of each other. 



As is the case with most other blrdt; which build in low situations, the males exhibit 

 the most violent apprehension on the approach of an intruder, and this is especiallj' the 

 case after the J'oung are hatched. Like the lapwings of Europe, they fly to meet the 

 invader, hovering at a slight elevation above him, and uttering loud cries of distress ; 

 and while in this position, displaj'ing to great advantage the rich glowing scarlet of the 

 wings, which Is heightened by the jetty black of his general plumage. 



But while the devastation committed b}^ these birds Is very great, the services which 

 they render must not be overlooked. Half a truth is no more the truth In natural history 

 than It Is In morals ; and those who utterly denounce and would entirely extirpate the 

 red-winged starling, overlook some Important considerations. For a considerable period 

 the food of these birds consists of grubs, caterpillars, and lar^-fc, which, though silent and 

 unostentatious in their movements, are yet the fatal enemies of all vegetation. For 

 these the starling searches with great diligence, not only in the ground, but at the roots 

 of plants. In meadows, and among buds and blossoms ; and the nmltitudes which they 

 destroy of these Is Immense. Wilson makes the computation that, suiDposing each bird, 

 on an average, devours fifty of these larvo) in a day — a verj' moderate estimate — a single 

 pair. In the four mouths during which they seek them, will consume upwards of twelve 

 thousand. Now It is believed that not less than a mllKon pair of these birds are 

 distributed over the whole extent of the United States in summer, whose food, being 

 nearly the same, would swell the amount of vermin destroyed to twelve thousand 

 millions. But the number of young birds may be fairly estimated at double that of 

 their pai'ents ; and, as these are constantly fed on larvae for at least three weeks, making 

 only the same allowance for them as for the old ones, their share would amount to foul- 

 thousand two hundred millions ; making- a "rand total of sixteen thousand two hundred 

 millions of noxious Insects destroyed in the space of four months by this single species. 

 The ravages of such a host of the enemies of vegetation, if permitted to go forth 

 unchecked, would soon spread famiae and desolation over the most fruitful and best 

 cultivated country on earth : and yet these data arc founded on the best authenticated 

 facts. 



Towards the middle of August the young birds begin to fly Iu flocks, and at that age 



B 2 



