RED-WINGED STARLING. 13 



and well deserving the consideration of its enemies, more especially of 

 those whose detestation of this species would stop at nothing short of 

 total extirpation. 



It has been already stated that they arrive in Pennsylvania late in 

 March. Their general food at this season, as well as during the early 

 part of summer (for the Crows and Purple Grakles are the principal 

 pests in planting time), consists of grub-worms, caterpillars, and various 

 other larvae, the silent but deadly enemies of all vegetation, and whose 

 secret and insidious attacks are more to be dreaded by the husbandman 

 than the combined forces of the whole feathered tribes together. For 

 these vermin the Starlings search with great diligence ; in the ground, 

 at the roots of plants, in orchards, and meadows, as well as among buds, 

 leaves and blossoms ; and from their known voracity the multitudes of 

 these insects which they destroy must be immense. Let me illustrate 

 this by a short computation. If we suppose each bird, on an average, 

 to devour fifty of these larvae in a day (a very moderate allowance), a 

 single pair in four months, the usual time such food is sought after, will 

 consume upwards of twelve thousand. It is believed, that not less than 

 a million pair of these birds are distributed over the whole extent of the 

 United States in summer ; whose food being nearly the sa.me, would 

 swell the amount of vermin destroyed to twelve thousand millions. But 

 the number of young birds may be fairly estimated at double that of 

 their parents, and as these are constantly fed on larvae for at least three 

 weeks, making only the same allowance for them as for the old ones, 

 their share would amount to four thousand two hundred millions ; mak- 

 ing a grand total of sixteen thousand two hundred millions of noxious 

 insects destroyed in the space of four months by this single species I 

 The combined ravages of such a hideous host of vermin would be sufii- 

 cient to spread famine and desolation over a wide extent of the richest 

 and best cultivated country on earth. All this, it may be said, is mere 

 supposition. It is, however, supposition founded on known and acknow- 

 ledged facts. I have never dissected any of these birds in spring with- 

 out receiving the most striking and satisfactory proofs of those facts ; 

 and though in a matter of this kind it is impossible to ascertain pre- 

 cisely the amount of the benefits derived by agriculture from this and 

 many other species of our birds ; yet in the present case I cannot resist 

 the belief, that the services of this species, in spring, are far more im- 

 portant and beneficial than the value of all that portion of corn which 

 a careful and active farmer; permits himself to lose by it. 



The great range of country frequented by this bird extends from 

 Mexico on the south, to Labrador. Our late enterprising travellers 

 across the continent to the Pacific Ocean observed it numerous in several 

 of the valleys at a great distance up the Missouri. When taken alive, 

 or reared from the nest, it soon becomes familiar, sings frequently. 



