Vol. XII. 

 1912 



J Banfield, Metallic Starlings 23 



industrious birds perform such essential functions in the scheme of 

 nature that others need not scoff when a mere observer of their 

 habits expresses the opinion that, lacking them, North Queensland 

 would be distinctly the poorer. Apart from aesthetics — and the 

 birds are exceedingly handsome — they are desirable, because they 

 transport hither and thither the seeds of plants, securing the 

 distribution of species which otherwise have no special means of 

 finding untainted soil in which to germinate. To study the habits 

 of the birds irrespective of the " season's difference " would be 

 unsatisfactory, for their migratory flights are regulated by the 

 weather. It is not for one moment argued that the Metallic 

 Starling is a weather oracle or prophet. Rather the reverse, for 

 it is obviously misled and rendered uncomfortable by changes upon 

 which even dull-witted humans may reasonably rely. The soaking 

 rains of the wet are to him a vexatious interference. The birds 

 are averse to the inevitable soaking and disarray of their sheeny, 

 black, close-fitting feathers, and exclaim against the saturation of 

 their bulky nests. Come the rains early or late, one detects a 

 variation in the tone of the Starling's impatient exclamations. It 

 is not quite so sharp as when the air is dry and the sun flashes on 

 burnished plumage. The tone is somewhat subdued. There is a 

 strain of remonstrance and melancholiness foreign to the birds in 

 happy moments. Perhaps it is that the discipline of the rains is 

 too rigid for them. They fly from the wet against inclination. 



Whether they come early and depart late, whether the several 

 colonies have hatched out three or only two broods, whether the 

 sly, calculating Grey Falcon has systematically harried the colonies 

 or left them joyously free, whensoever they make them ready 

 for flight, the Starlings, true to one of the ruling passions of the 

 genus, assemble in flocks for the performance of aerial manoeuvres, 

 in which they act as though the separate entities had but a single 

 brain. They cleave through the air with sword-like rigidity and 

 cleanness, shrieking in unison. It may be fanciful to compare the 

 evolutions to forked lightning, but certainly similar acute angles 

 and startling tangents are manifested. Just now the black 

 lightning is often in the air. There is reason to believe that these 

 martial exercises are designed to perfect the ranks — the youngsters 

 of the season — in the art of evading the death-dealing swoop of 

 the Falcon and other predatory birds. Indeed, I have watched 

 the evolution, not merely in times of peace and security, but as an 

 actual and effective movement for the defeat of an easily baffled 

 and exasperated enemy. 



Judging from the alacrity with which the birds begin building 

 on their advent in August, and the earnestness with which family 

 duties are maintained during seven months, it is conceivable that 

 but for the positive check of the rains they might maintain the 

 vigorous fulfilment of the law for the propagation of the species 

 all the year round. Though governed by its incidence, they 

 appear to detest the wet. Ah early wet season sends them off, 

 though with apparent reluctance. • When a preliminary downpour 



