112 



Bird - Lore 



I first noticed the Starling in the vicinity 

 of Lawrenceville in the spring of 1909. 

 Since then I have found several nests 

 yearly, the birds becoming more and 

 more plentiful each season. A note from 

 field-book of May 2, 1909, reads: "Prin- 

 cipal find of the day, European Starling. 

 Nest with young in hole in small oak tree 

 by side of creek beyond F.'s woods. 

 Flicker's nest just above in same tree. 

 The two species did not seem to be the 

 best of neighbors. Some difficulty in 

 identifying, I thinking at first the bird 

 was a Purple Martin, but the yellow bill 

 and mottled upper feathers argued con- 

 clusively against the Martin. Parent 

 birds most persistent in feeding their 

 young, and unusually suspicious of 

 intruders." 



Journal of May 13, 1909, reads: "Young 

 in Starling's nest peeping out of hole, 

 evidently nearly ready to take wing. 

 Both parent birds near. Have often 

 noticed the extreme shyness of these 

 birds, they absolutely refusing to enter 

 hole while I was within twenty feet of the 

 tree. Often the old birds, coming home 

 with food in their bills for the little ones, 

 would deliberately drop the worm or 

 grub, or eat it, rather than venture to 

 the nest while I was near. Flicker has 

 evidently deserted her nest above Star- 

 ling's. Have not seen Flickers around in 

 several days." 



May 16: "Starlings still in nest. Seem 

 unusually large for fledglings. Noted 

 peculiar actions of Tree Swallows (dozen 

 or more) which circled about stump con- 

 taining both the Starling's and the Flick- 

 er's nests. Occasionally one or two of 

 them would assail the Starlings in the air. 

 attacking them from below instead of 

 above, as the Kingbird does the Hawk. 

 Swallows disappeared all of a sudden. 

 Couldn't determine why the Swallows 

 desired combat with the Starlings. Flicker 

 again in her nest above the Starlings. 

 Five nests within fifteen rods — those of 

 the Starling, Flicker, Yellow Warbler, 

 Phoebe and Song Sparrow. Red-winged 

 Blackbird's nest with three eggs twenty 

 rods further on." 



May 25: "Starlings nesting again, this 

 time in the hole which the Flickers 

 occupied earlier." 



I am certain the Starlings reared two 

 broods in the same stump, first in one 

 hole, then in the one above, hollowed out 

 originally by the Flickers. I am also 

 positive that the Starlings eventually 

 drove away the Flickers. 



Mr. Witmer Stone, of the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, wrote me, 

 in answer to my letter describing the 

 Starlings and Flickers as nesting in the 

 same tree: "I am much interested in your 

 letter. We have a few Starlings breeding 

 at several points in Philadelphia, and in 

 one instance, at least, they have driven 

 away nesting Flickers. There is a large 

 flock established at Vineland, and they 

 have reached Tuckerton, Salem and 

 Delaware." 



A few days ago, during one of our coldest 

 mornings of the present winter, a large 

 flock of Starlings was seen on the 

 Lawrenceville School campus. They may 

 be found in many places in this locality 

 in the spring and summer, and I have run 

 upon their nests in all kinds of trees. 



Farmers hereabouts seem to be con- 

 siderably concerned as to the economic 

 value of the Starling, many believing the 

 bird will ultimately become as great a 

 pest as the English Sparrow. Judging 

 from the bird's habit of routing out cer- 

 tain of our native species of songbirds, 

 it would seem there were considerable 

 warrant for the anxiety of the farmers 

 with respect to Stunms vulgaris. — Wal- 

 ter Fox Allen. 



Starlings in Princeton, N. J. 



Since the fourth of January, large 

 numbers of English Starlings have fre- 

 quented the campus. This is the first 

 time I have ever noticed this bird in this 

 vicinity, although scattered individuals 

 have been reported. The Starlings play 

 about the buildings and most of the time 

 have been busy eating the berries on the 

 ivy. Altogether there are probably nearly 

 two hundred birds. Their arrival in such 



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