INJURIES FROM ANIMALS 151 



amount of good they do in the way of destroy- 

 ing insect pests far outweighs the evil. 



Starlings are at times quite a nuisance, 

 especially when they congregate in huge flocks 

 at roosting time and foul the ground with their 

 droppings. In several cases the trees in the 

 plantation where these birds roost have either 

 been killed outright or rendered unhealthy 

 by their presence, especially when the birds 

 remained for a lengthened period in the same 

 locality. Two instances have of late come 

 under our notice in which quite a number of 

 averaged-sized trees and their underwood have 

 been killed by the too pressing attention of 

 this otherwise valuable bird. Though in 

 certain cases the trees may not have been 

 killed, yet many of the branches have died off, 

 and the whole frequented part of the wood- 

 land wears a decidedly unhealthy appearance. 

 Frightening the starlings by shooting, or light- 

 ing some of the material used for smoking out 

 rabbits beneath the trees on which they roost, 

 are the only remedies. 



The heron does almost similar damage to 

 trees, and in a heronry in the north of Ireland, 



