15 



its living in populated countries and in cultivated regions in 

 close relationship with man, and it has thriven in such an en- 

 vironment. It thus has an advantage over our native species 

 similar to that enjoyed by the sparrow, which, subsequent to 

 its introduction here, displaced so many native birds during the ■ 

 latter quarter of the nineteenth century. How can the bluebird 

 or the house v/ren, which have been accustomed to life about 

 human habitations for a comparatively short time, compete 

 with such a bird as the starling? 



The friends of the sparrow argued that it would fill a void 

 in our city life that no native bird could possibly occupy, inas- 

 much as it would always have in the streets a plentiful supjjly 

 of food that would otherwise be mainly wasted, and that 

 it would be able to maintain itself where native birds would 

 starve. No such argument can be advanced in favor of the 

 starling. If there was an opening for the sparrow it was filled 

 long ago, and the starling cannot occupy the place in our urban 

 life now filled by the sparrow, even if it drives out the latter. 

 No doubt in the city the starling is preferable to the sparrow, 

 but it cannot displace the sparrow without indirectly making 

 trouble for native species also. The sparrow and the starling 

 will live together, as in England, but the starling will drive the 

 sparrow away from all nesting places that are suitable for its 

 own use, and the sparrow will in turn eject tree swallows, 

 martins, bluebirds, wrens and other native birds from their 

 present nesting places, that it may secure homes in place of 

 those taken by the starling. Already this adjustment is going 

 on. First in the city, then in the suburbs, and finally in the 

 country our native birds which normally nest in hollow trees 

 will be driven to the wall if the starling continues to increase 

 in numbers, and there is now no adequate check to its increase 

 in sight. In America as in Europe the starling seeks nesting 

 places about buildings. It breeds in dovecotes, such church 

 steeples as furnish safe nesting places, in holes and crevices 

 about houses, in niches under the eaves, in electric light hoods, 

 bird houses, nesting boxes, woodpecker holes and hollow trees. 

 Therefore, in seeking nesting places it comes directly in compe- 

 tition with pigeons, screech owls, sparrow hawks, flickers and 

 other woodpeckers, nuthatches, crested fly-catchers, martins, 



