Notes from Field and Study 



175 



at their feet, and paddled ofif to her. Still 

 another call brought the third obedient 

 child, and then the fourth, and last, went 

 to her. The part that was most surprising 

 to the girls was the fact that not one bird 

 was to be seen till the mother called a 

 diferent note, and especially, that they 

 all went one at a time. Not one chick 

 started out of the grass till the one ahead 

 had swum across, and the mother had 

 called again ! — x\lice Sage Allyx, Middle- 

 town, Conn. 



Occurrence of Starlings in Dorchester 

 County, Md. 



The Starlings first made their appear- 

 ance in this locality (southern Maryland), 

 so far as I am aware, on February 14, 1916. 

 A large flock of at leaet seventy-five in- 

 dividuals were noted and again observed 

 the two following days, the isth and i6th. 

 The 14th was without question the coldest 

 day of the winter, the ground being 

 covered with snow, which was drifting in 

 huge banks before a heavy northeast gale. 

 Under these tempestuous conditions the 

 Starlings were observed to feed in close 

 flocks in the few wind-swept places of the 

 fields. After feeding they would alight 

 on the roof of the outbuildings or a 

 sheltered tree and there enjoy the sun- 

 shine out of the biting blast. — Ralph W. 

 Jacksox, R. F. D. No. i, Cambridge, Md. 



Can the Starling Rule Birdland ? 



Concerning the English Starling I have 

 learned enough to distress the lover of wild 

 birds. This imported prodigy seemed to 

 have singled out my father's land as the 

 first spot in the neighborhood on which to 

 establish itself. Two pairs came about 

 five years ago and built in maple hollows 

 near the stables. Incidentally, let me say 

 with anything but sorrow, that to do this 

 they drove out two rowdy families of 

 English Sparrows. 



There was a tall buttonball tree on the 

 hill nearby in which there were eleven 

 holes drilled by Flickers and two others 

 caused by limb-decay. In these lived 



Flickers, Wrens, Sparrows, and Sparrow 

 Hawks in happy disregard of each other 

 until the Starlings found them out, and for 

 the following year joyfully took two of the 

 best sites. There were then, by actual 

 count, two pairs of Starlings, four pairs of 

 Flickers, one pair of Sparrow Hawks, and 

 two pairs of English Sparrows nesting in 

 that fine old tree, several Flickers having 

 apparently already been driven away. The 

 next year there were at least five pairs of 

 Starlings while the Flickers had dwindled 

 to two pairs. For the last two years there 

 have been only sharp Starling heads stick- 

 ing out of those holes bored with such 

 exertion by the fine Flicker tribe, and in- 

 stead of grubs, cherries are borne in in- 

 creasing numbers to the nestlings. 



Not only there, but in all the old trees 

 about the buildings, holes have been 

 taken over by this bird-pest who has now 

 entirely eliminated from the orchard 

 Bluebirds and Crested Flycatchers. His 

 very presence seems also to discourage 

 most other varieties of birds, for the place 

 is now fast becoming one where the Crow, 

 the Crackle, the Starling, and the English 

 Sparrow alone enliven the scenery. And 

 what songsters they are ! 



That the Flicker suffers most is shown 

 by the way he has attempted to adopt 

 inadequate bird-houses to his nesting 

 needs. Two pairs enlarged the entrance- 

 holes in empty Bluebird boxes only to 

 find something unsatisfactory in each. 

 Another tried hard to bore into a work- 

 box placed on a telephone-pole near the 

 house, and one in his zeal came down the 

 chimney in my bedroom. 



I have found the Starling very difficult 

 to trap but comparatively easy to shoot. 

 However, the more I have shot the more 

 have come; so I see little relief ahead and 

 can only feel grave fear that the Starling 

 will soon rule all settled districts in this 

 state. — Joseph W. Lippincott, Bethayres, 

 Pa. 



A Singing Blue Jay 



Though the Blue Jay has the reputation 

 of being "both a mimic and a ventrilo- 

 quist," I personally have never before 



