ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE STARLING. 59 
whose economic worth may be considered greater than that of the 
latter, but in no case was the disturbance of a well-established 
colony of martins noted. In its search for food the starling also 
comes in competition with neighboring species, most of which, 
however, are the starling’s economic inferiors. The meadowlark 
appears to be the only species which might be affected by this 
competition for food whose added difficulty in sustaining itself is to 
be deplored. 
ROOSTS. 
The objectionable habit possessed by the starlmg im common 
with several other species, particularly grackles and robins, of 
congregating in enormous roosts, usually in the residential section 
of a city, is, next to the damage resulting from the bird’s food habits, 
the source of the greatest economic loss. The persistent use of 
firearms or Roman candles will remove these nuisances, but vigilance 
must be employed to prevent the reestablishing of the roosts in other 
places where they would be equally objectionable. 
CONCLUSION. 
_ It has been the purpose of this investigation to determine what 
should be our attitude toward the starling, in order that a correct 
judgment might be reflected by legislation governing the protection 
of the bird. Most of the starling’s food habits have been demon- 
strated to be either beneficial to man or of a neutral character. 
Furthermore, it has been found that the time the bird spends in 
destroying crops or in molesting other birds is extremely short 
compared with the endless hours it spends searching for insects or 
feeding on wild fruits. Nevertheless, no policy would be sound which 
would give the bird absolute protection and afford no relief to the 
farmer whose crops are threatened by a local overabundance of 
the species. Consequently, the enactment of laws that afford 
protection to the starling, except when it is actually doing or 
threatening to inflict damage, appears to be the wisest procedure. 
With its ready ability to adapt itself to new environments, the 
starling possesses almost unlimited capacity for good, but it is 
potentially harmful in that its gregarious habits may abnormally 
emphasize some minor food habit which would be indulged in at 
the expense of growing crops. The individual farmer will be well 
rewarded by allowing a reasonable number of starlings to conduct 
their nesting operations on the farm. Later in the season a little 
vigilance will prevent these easily frightened birds from exacting an 
unfair toll for services rendered. 
