THE STARLING 



grackles have dark bills, yellow eyes, and long tails. 

 Both starlings and grackles are iridescent; a near view re- 

 veals the spotted plumage of the starlings and the irides- 

 cent bars on the backs of the purple grackles. 



Major Bendire says that starlings possess unusual adapt- 

 ability and can make their nests in a great variety of 

 places. Accusations are brought against them for driving 

 away bluebirds and even flickers. It remains to be 

 seen how much harm is done to our native birds in this 

 way. 



There are different opinions regarding the economic 

 value of Old World starlings. Mr. Forbush tells of an 

 Australian locust invasion near Ballarat, Victoria, which 

 made terrible havoc with crops. "It was feared that all 

 the sheep would have to be sold for want of grass, when 

 flocks of Starlings, Spoon-bills, and Cranes made their ap- 

 pearance and in a few days made so complete a destruc- 

 tion of the locusts that only about forty acres of grass were 

 lost." Mr. Forbush gives also "the experience of the for- 

 est authorities in Bavaria during the great and destructive 

 outbreak of the nun moth which occurred there from 1889 

 to 1891. The flight of Starlings collected in one locality 

 alone was creditably estimated at ten thousand, all busily 

 feeding on the caterpillars, pupae and moths. The attrac- 

 tion of Starlings to such centers became so great that 

 market-gardeners at a distance felt their absence seri- 

 ously." ^ 



In an article by E. R. Kalmbach of the Biological Sur- 

 vey, published in "The Auk" of April, 1922, and entitled 

 "A Comparsion of the Food Habits of British and Amer- 



^ From "Useful Birds and Their Protection," by E. H. Forbush, pp. 65 

 and 17. 



[81] 



