USEFUL OR HARMFUL? n 



the owner, who finds it hard to remember that God cares 

 even for the sparrows. He tries to drive the thieves 

 away, but they care little for the cries of the lads set to 

 scare them. Little do they heed the rattles, feathers, 

 rows of sticks with lines of thread all the various flimsy 

 inventions are useless; a gun will disperse them for the 

 moment, but the cloud of pilferers is soon back again, 

 and as busy as ever. At this juncture severe measures 

 are justified. Even the most ardent bird-lover will not 

 be foolish enough to protect every bird at all times and 

 seasons. Yet it is only for a short season of the year 

 that starlings are harmful, and for the greater part they 

 are useful, in garden, field and meadow, from early 

 morning until late evening, protecting growing blades 

 of grass and coming seed and roots for the farmer, with 

 unceasing labour. This is in the early spring; later 

 they betake themselves to the pasture lands, where, on 

 bright sunny mornings, they walk nimbly among the 

 browsing cattle seeking their food in the form of crane 

 fly and daddy-long-legs, in the shadow of the patient 

 creatures. The gadflies, too, buzz about the bodies of 

 the beasts, lay their eggs under the hide, boring into the 

 flesh, tormenting and maddening the helpless cattle. 

 The Hungarian herdsman is glad when he sees the 

 starlings settle on his wide pastures. 



When the eggs have developed into maggots the 

 birds alight on the backs of the beasts, to rid them of 

 gadflies and batflies ; and the cattle and sheep suffer their 

 services gladly, knowing well that these good feathered 

 friends will effectually extract their torturers without 

 further irritation to the infested parts. A horse has 

 been known to die from the exhaustion caused by the 

 continuous action of parasitic creatures. 



