50 OUR WINTER BIRDS 



plains of our interior, for Starling is a tree-loving 

 bird. 



Whether Starling will prove a useful citizen we 

 do not as yet know. He feeds to some extent upon 

 harmless insects, but he is also fond of fruit, while 

 his habit of nesting in holes induces him to occupy 

 the homes In which Flicker and Bluebird had for- 

 merly reared their families. He is with us through- 

 out the year and is one of the first of the smaller 

 birds to begin housekeeping. When Flicker and 

 Bluebird return to the hole they had used the year 

 before, we may imagine their surprise to find It in 

 the possession of a strange black bird who refuses 

 to move out. 



It will be observed that the Starling, like the 

 English Sparrow, is evidently lacking in those finer 

 traits of character which prompt an unwelcome guest 

 quickly to take his departure. Doubtless for this 

 reason he has thrived where a more timid, retiring 

 bird would have failed. 



Even the most ardent champion of the rights of 

 our native birds will admit that Starling has many 

 qualities which commend him to us. His plumage Is 

 bright and glossy, his voice cheerful, and his habits 

 interesting. In the summer he wears a shining, 

 greenish black costume lightly dotted with creamish. 

 In the winter the dots are larger and more numer- 



