QUEENSLAND and NORTHERN TERRITORY 37 



and by this means almost exterminate small 

 swarms of insects. 



Swiftlet-nests in household economy are con- 

 sidered valuable as soup makers to an enormous 

 extent, and caves in oil bearing Borneo contain 

 tons. On the Lena River in Siberia the Russians 

 have a reverence for swifts because of their 

 economic value as destroyers of noxious insects. If 

 we ever wish to get to cross purposes with a 

 Cossack, it can be done by interfering with the 

 nests of a swift or swallow. The present writer 

 can truly say his one experience of this particular 

 form of anger just about cost him his life. 



A. SHINING STARLING (Calornis) 



B. THE RIFLE BIRD 



A. The home of the Starling is shown in map 

 13, with an extension from the Solomon Islands to 

 the Moluccas, and south — to New South Wales in 

 certain seasons. It is stationary, or it may migrate 

 between such attractive places as Cairns, Cardwell 

 and Rockingham Bay. A flock will then build a 

 colony of 50 to 300 pensile nests in the same cotton 

 tree, or fig tree. This species is the only native of 

 Australia of this old-world family. Even so it is 

 confined to the coastal scrub of a portion. India 

 and China are the headquarters of the family, 

 which includes the common starling now intro- 

 duced to Tasmania and the mainland. Fruit- 



