22 



THE OOLOGIST 



The Starling. 



The European Starling is showing 

 up In small flocks throughout our 

 state and to such an extent that it 

 promises to become a menace to the 

 interest of our farmers and fruit grow- 

 ers. I have heard within the last two 

 or three weeks of not less than a dozen 

 flocks of this bird, and I presume it 

 would be safe to say that there are 

 fully hundreds of these flocks in as 

 many localities of the state. In Or- 

 leans County they were reported to 

 me as a new species of the Martin. 

 From Wyoming County the press re- 

 ports large flocks of "black birds," 

 citing the same as an early harbinger 

 of spring. Here at Albany a flock of 

 eight "Robins" has been seen. This 

 situation prevails to a greater or less 

 extent throughout the state. In each 

 instance, when followed up, the "Mar- 

 tins," "Black Birds" and "Robins" have 

 proven to be the Starling. 



I wrote Short in relation to the 

 same about two weeks since and am 

 compiling a little material to present 

 to the State Fruit Growers at their 

 annual meeting in Poughkeepsie, the 

 latter part of the month. 



Frank H. Lattin, 

 Albany, N. Y. 

 * * 9 



THE STARLING. 



Sturnus Vulgaris Linnaeus. 

 Eaton's Birds of New York. 



Description: 



Shaped somewhat like the Meadow- 

 lark, but with a relatively longer bill 

 and shorter tail; general color black, 

 glossed with iridescent purple and 

 greenish, spotted with buff or brown- 

 ish white; bill yellow; winter plumage 

 with the brownish or buffy of the 

 upper and under parts mostly obscur- 

 ing the greenish and purple. Sexes 

 almost alike. Female slightly more 

 spotted below; young plain grayish- 



brown. Length 8i^ inches. 



Distribution: 



The Starling is a native of Western 

 and Central Europe, wintering mostly 

 in Southern Europe or Northern Af- 

 rica, now introduced in the vicinity of 

 New York City. The birds were lib- 

 erated by Mr. Eugene Schieffelin in 

 1890 in Central Park. They undoubt- 

 edly will continue to spread up the 

 Hudson Valley and throughout the 

 state if not throughout the country, 

 unless their advance is artificially 

 checked. 



They are largely frugivorous, being 

 particularly destructive to cherries, 

 currents, berries, and other small 

 fruits, and doubtless would become a 

 veritable pest in the grape regions 

 of central and western New York, if 

 they ever became abundant in those 

 localities. 



The Starlings are more closely gre- 

 garious than the Meadowlarks, the 

 flocks frequently appearing as dense 

 as flocks of Rice Birds. In England 

 and Northern Europe the "clouds of 

 Starlings" are justly famous, some- 

 times practically darkening the sky 

 and appearing in the distance like 

 great storm clouds drifting over the 

 country. 

 Colllnge — Manual of Injurious Insects. 



Starling — Distinctly the farmer's 

 friend, but when allowed to increase 

 duly they become equally injurious. 

 In almost every country they require 

 thinning out annually. 



Saunders — British Birds. 



The Starling feeds principally upon 

 worms, slugs, small molluscs, insects 

 and their larvae; it also eats voles, 

 the young and eggs of other birds, 

 cultivated fruit and wild berries. 

 Newton — Dictionary of Birds. 



The Starling is about the size of a 

 Thrush, and though at a distance it 

 appears to be black, when near at 

 hand its plumage is seen to be brightly 



