28 RED-WINGED STARLING. 



winged starling ; bnt there remain some facts to be men- 

 tioned, no less authentic, and well deserving the consideration 

 of its enemies, more especially of those whose detestation of 

 this species would stop at nothing short of total extirpation. 



It has been already stated, that they arrive in Pennsylvania 

 late in March. Their general food at this season, as well as 

 during the early part of summer (for the crows and purple 

 grakles are the principal pests in planting time), consists of 

 grub-worms, caterpillars, and various other larvse, the silent, 

 but deadly enemies of all vegetation, and whose secret and 

 insidious attacks are more to be dreaded by the husbandman 

 than the combined forces of the whole feathered tribes to- 

 gether. For these vermin, the starlings search with great 

 diligence ; in the ground, at the roots of plants, in orchards, 

 and meadows, as well as among buds, leaves, and blossoms ; 

 and, from their known voracity, the multitudes of these in- 

 sects which they destroy must be immense. Let me illustrate 

 this by a short computation : If we suppose each bird, on an 

 average, to devour fifty of these larvse in a day (a very mode- 

 rate allowance), a single pair, in four months, the usual time 

 such food is sought after, will consume upwards of twelve 

 thousand. It is believed, that not less than a million pair of 

 these birds are distributed over the whole extent of the 

 United States in summer; whose food, being nearly the same, 

 would swell the amount of vermin destroyed to twelve thou- 

 sand millions. But the number of young birds may be fairty 

 estimated at double that of their parents ; and, as these are 

 constantly fed on larvae for at least three weeks, making only 

 the same allowance for them as for the old ones, their share 

 would amount to four thousand two hundred millions ; 

 making a grand total of sixteen thousand two hundred 

 millions of noxious insects destroyed in the space of four 

 months by this single species ! The combined ravages of 

 such a hideous host of vermin would be sufficient to spread 

 famine and desolation over a wide extent of the richest and 

 best cultivated country on earth. All this, it may be said, is 



