14 



active in the face of any foe that it can master, it shows the 

 acme of caution and intelHgence in its relations with man or 

 any other creature too powerful to master. While it is com- 

 paratively fearless where it is unmolested, it is always on 

 guard, and if hunted becomes more wary than a crow. It is 

 a handsome bird, and though it has little merit as a songster, 

 it has many pleasant whistling and chattering notes and some 

 talent as a mimic. Its alarm note is a harsh, rasping, low- 

 pitched call. 



Its insect-eating habits, its beauty and its cheery notes have 

 already made it many strong friends in this country who will 

 protect it stoutly; and this protection, together with the bird's 

 ability to take care of itself and keep out of danger, precludes 

 all possibility of its extermination here if it proves undesirable. 



Were rewards or bounties offered with a view to its extinc- 

 tion, blackbirds, meadowlarks and other native species, w^hich 

 consort with the starling, would be among the chief sufferers. 

 The starling is here to stay, and we must make the best of it. 

 Whether its presence will result in more good than harm will 

 depend largely on the ratio of its increase. . We now know 

 enough of its habits in this country to forecast some of the re- 

 sults that may be expected from an excess of the species. 



The Starling drives Certain Native Birds from their Nests. 



When any animal is successfully introduced into a new 

 country, and increases rapidly, its advent naturally tends to 

 upset the biologic balance. Its native natural enemies have 

 been left behind in its own country, where it had a settled and 

 established place in a series of natural forces that had been in 

 existence for centuries, and it becomes an interloper in the new 

 land, among conditions and forms of life entirely new. If the 

 species is weak or unfit for its new environment, or if it is 

 introduced into a land differing much in climatic conditions 

 from its own, it may die out; but if it is strong and fit, and if 

 the climate is suitable, it is likely to increase abnormally in 

 numbers, and it cannot so increase without displacing some of 

 the species native to the soil. 



The starling is a hardy, capable and prolific bird, which, like 

 the sparrow, has had many centuries of experience in. getting 



