ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE STARLING. 3 
made to visit places from which complaints had come, and enough of 
these were investigated to give a good idea of the habits of the star- 
ling in areas where it had acquired an unfavorable reputation. | 
There were secured for this investigation a total of 2,466 well- 
filled stomachs, probably a greater number than has ever before 
been used for investigating the food habits of a single species of 
bird. Of these, 309 were of nestlings. Approximately two-thirds 
of the material was collected by representatives of the Biological 
Survey, the remainder being secured from reliable collectors, who 
at the same time submitted many economic notes of interest. Of 
these stomachs 1,250 were collected in Connecticut, 814 in New 
Jersey, 269 in New York, 62 in Pennsylvania, 43 in Massachusetts, 
27 in Rhode Island, and i in Delaware. Besides these there were 
gathered 160 additional stomachs only partially filled with food. 
While these were not suited for estimating percentages, they fur- 
nished considerable information concerning food items. 
In response to a circular letter sent under date of June 15, 1915, to 
numerous bird students, horticulturists, and practical farmers, 269 
replies were received. The following questions, embodied in that 
circular, will give an idea of the data obtained: 
1. About what year did the starling appear in your neighborhood? 
2. Isitnow common? When did it become so? Abundance as compared with 
other species. 
3. Is the bird destructive to fruits? State kinds and, if possible, the approximate 
amount of damage. 
4. Does the starling damage any other crops or property? 
5. What are the relations of the starling to other birds? 
6. Where plenty of nest boxes have been placed, has friction between the starling 
and other species decreased? 
7. At what time of year do starlings begin to flock? Are they more destructive 
when in flocks than at other times? 
8. Does the starling spend the winter in your locality? 
9. From your observations do you consider the starling injurious or beneficial? - 
Besides the replies to these requests, correspondence from other 
sources has yielded many facts that have been incorporated in this 
bulletin. 
DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF THE STARLING. 2 
The starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is native to all but the most north- 
ern parts of Europe, and also occupies the same latitudes in the 
western two-thirds of Siberia. Migration in fall takes the bulk of 
the species to countries bordering on the Mediterranean, and a 
portion to the warm latitudes as far east as Hindustan. Several 
related species and subspecies of starlings occupy adjacent sections 
and even portions of the same areas in the southeastern part of this 
2 Most of the data here presented concerning the introduction and spread of the starling in the United 
States prior to 1916 have been compiled by W. L. McAtee, of the Bureau of Biological Survey. 
