Part I.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 115 



An Assistant to the Ornithologist. 



Considering that the present incumbent of the office of State 

 Ornithologist is already fully occupied, it may be asked how 

 such a work as is proposed can be produced. As the labor of 

 the office increases annually, an assistant should be provided in 

 any case. This would give the ornithologist time for the study 

 and travel necessary to complete the work on the birds of the 

 State, and eventually would provide a trained man to fill the 

 vacancy in the office that must occur sooner or later. 



The Starling. 



The introduced starling is now common in many towns in 

 the State and numerous in some areas. Many complaints have 

 been received regarding its destructiveness to fruit and to native 

 birds. It is a useful bird, but wherever it has been introduced 

 into a new country and become established it has sooner or 

 later increased so in numbers as to be more or less injurious. 

 Even in England, where it is native, its numbers now are so 

 great that it is destructive to certain crops. In Massachusetts 

 it is still protected by law with other insectivorous birds. It 

 is time to remove such protection from it, as has been done 

 in New York, Connecticut and Vermont. The friends of the 

 starling need not fear its extermination or any serious deple- 

 tion of its numbers. It is now well established, is as crafty 

 as the crow, much more prolific and will be protected by its 

 many friends. The English sparrow is not only proscribed by 

 law, but municipal authorities are required by law to destroy 

 it — yet it is still with us. The starling is much better able to 

 take care of itself than is the sparrow. If jegal protection be 

 removed from the starling an opportunity will be offered for 

 farmers to protect their fruit and grain from its ravages, and, 

 for those who prefer other birds, to prevent it from driving out 

 native species or destroying the eggs or young. If the starling 

 is to be kept on the protected list, then the jay, the crow and 

 the crow blackbird should be protected, as they are in some 

 ways more desirable than the starling. There are many ob- 

 jections to the introduction of birds from foreign countries that 



