18 



them away from a lawn where they formerly fed. The starling 

 is a sphinx-like bird and ordinarily treats other birds with a 

 sort of contemptuous tolerance. In w^inter it even permits 

 robins, blackbirds and meadowlarks to join its great flocks, but 

 as these flocks increase they must eventually clean up most of 

 the winter food supply, and leave our native winter birds 

 without sufficient sustenance. 



Starlings killing Other Birds. 

 Two observers have reported the destruction of young and 

 adult "English" sparrows by starlings, and two have noted the 

 killing of native birds. There seems to be no reason to believe, 

 however, that this habit has become general, and it seems more 

 likely that it is exceptional; but this subject requires careful, 

 painstaking investigation, and it is unsafe as yet to make 

 predictions regarding it. 



Other Injurious Habits of Starliugs. 



The food of the starling in America seems to be similar in 

 general character to that which it consumes in Europe. It is 

 particularly useful there, however, because of its fondness for 

 the destructive land snails, which are very numerous in many 

 regions. 



It cannot be expected that it will be thus beneficial here, for 

 we are not similarly afflicted in this country. The starling can 

 give no service here that cannot be equally well performed by 

 our own blackbirds, meadowlarks, bobolinks, sparrows and 

 other birds, but it will be useful where these birds are not 

 numerous enough to keep the insect enemies of grass lands in 

 check. Already, however, the starling has begun to show a 

 capacity for harmfulness which may be expected to become 

 more prominent as its numbers increase. In the breeding 

 season small flocks go to the cherry trees, and as they alight for 

 a few minutes a shower of cherry stones may be heard. Some- 

 times they strip a tree completely and then go to another. In 

 other cases they feed in a desultory way, taking toll from all 

 the trees in a neighborhood. 



Mr. William T. Davis of New Brighton, New York, describes 

 the destruction of pears by starlings which he observed on 



