12 



ing places. Even in Brooklyn, however, Dr. Edward W. Victor, 

 who keeps an excellent record of the birds observed at Prospect 

 Park, records an average of 29 starlings daily in 1908, 31 in 

 1909 and 41 in 1910. Mr. J. H. Sage of Portland, Connecticut, 

 states that two pairs were seen there in 1908, and that by 

 June, 1910, the number had increased to about 100. During 

 the breeding season the starling is rather quiet and secretive, 

 and its numbers are not fully realized, but in the fall its large 

 flocks become very conspicuous, and people are prone to exag- 

 gerate its numbers for the reason that these flocks roam over 

 the country for miles, frequently appearing and disappearing, 

 and giving the impression of great abundance. The most con- 

 Aancing proof of increase comes in the statements of people who 

 saw the starlings in flocks of from 1,000 to 3,000 in the fall 

 of 1909, and who found in the same localities in 1910 flocks 

 estimated to contain from 8,000 to 10,000. In the region about 

 New York City, including Long Island, Staten Island and 

 parts of the Hudson River valley, also portions of New Jersey, 

 where the sparrow is more abundant than I have ever seen it 

 anywhere else in this country, there appeared to be at least 50 

 sparrows to every starling in June, 1910, but it is quite prob- 

 able that now the ratio has beer\ very materially changed in 

 many places by the increase of the starling. 



The spread of the starling since 1900 may be seen by the 

 following statement. 



In the year 1900 it appeared at Flushing, Long Island; East 

 Orange, New Jersey; Chilmark, New York (Scarborough-on- 

 Hudson); Norwalk, Stamford and New Haven, Connecticut. 

 In 1901 the first birds are recorded from Delaware, taken near 

 Odessa. In 1904 the starling had reached Rye, New York, 

 and Trevose, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1905 it is re- 

 corded from Newburg, New York; Elizabeth, New Jersey; 

 and West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1906, Danbury, 

 Wethersfield and Hartford, Connecticut; New Brunswick, 

 Princeton, Red Bank and Vincentown, New Jersey, wer6 in- 

 cluded in its range. In 1907 it was seen in Stonington, Wind- 

 sor, Bethel, Southington and New London, Connecticut; Upper 

 Montclair, Morristown and Tuckertop, New Jersey; and 

 Setauket, Syosset and Orient, Long Island. In 1908 it was 



