THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



Vol. III. Portland, Oregon, August, 1896. No. 8 



Imported and Acclimated Song Birds in ^J^g huad and nape of the neck are 



Oregon. i t i 



tipped with reddish white; those on 



Bv <". F. Pfluger, Sec'v of the Society for the ill- . , ,. , 



trodiK-tion of useful song-birds into Oregon, the Dack With hght rUSt COlor, and 



-;it Portland. r i i i • i 



THE STARLING Stenjns ndgari^. on the outer part of the body with 



{Der Star.) white. Hence the general appear- 



Of these useful birds 35 pairs ance of the bird is speckled. In 



were introduced into Oregon by the the female the beak is rather black - 



Society in 1889 and 1892. They ish brown than yellow; the light 



were turned loose in the city of colored spots, especially o;i the 



Portland near the city park, and head, neck and breast are larger^ 



have since increased remarkably and the edges of the wing feathers 



well. broader, which give the bird a 



The starling inhabits all parts of lighter and more mottled appear- 



the old world, and frequents woods ance. 



and thickets which are at no great The starling eats not only worms 



distance from meadows and plough- caterpillars and their larvae, snails, 



ed fields. In October it departs grasshoppers, mole-crickets, and the 



southwards, and does not return un- insects which tease the pasturing 



til the beginning of March. It is cattle, but berries, grain of all kinds, 



8X- inches in length, of which the millet and hempseed. The starling 



tail measures 23/2 inches. The beak builds in hollow trees, under the 



is one inch long, awl-shaped angu- roofs of houses and in wooden 



lar, somewhat flattish and, a little boxes and earthen vessels, which 



blunt. It is a pale yellow tipped are often hung on trees or under the 



with brown, and in winter blackish eaves of houses for their accommo- 



blue. The iris is nut-brown; the dation. The nest is carelessly built 



feet one inch in height, and dark of dry leaves, grass stalks, and 



flesh-color. The whole body is feathers, and is occupied by the 



blackish, having a purple tinge half same pair year after year, being 



way down the back and breast, with cleaned out when the}- take posses- 



a bright green lustre on the rest of sion. The female lays twice a year 



tiie bod}', and on the wing-coverts, from 4 to 7 greenish gray eggs. 



The pen and tail feathers are black. Before the first moulting the young 



speckled with gray, and together are not so much black as a smoky 



with all the coverts edged with fawn color, without spots; and their 



light rust color. The feathers of beak is dark brown. 



