1921.] 



The Starling. 



1119 



A point in the starling's favour, is the nature of the food 

 brought to the nest by the parent birds during the nesting season, 

 which covers a period of about three weeks. A volumetric 

 analysis of the stomach contents of 40 nestlings shows that 

 injurious insects constitute 89 per cent, of the total bulk of food, 

 neutral insects 1.5 per cent., earth-worms and slugs 6.5 per 

 cent., and miscellaneous matter 3 per cent. Amongst the insects 

 we find the larvae of the Great Yellow Ilnderwing Moth, various 

 Noctuid and Geometrid larvae, wireworms, leather-jackets, and 

 many Dipterous larvae, weevils and numerous small beetles. In 

 addition to feeding the growing and rapacious nestlings upon this 

 diet, there is every reason to suppose that during this period 

 the parent birds also partake of a similar one. It is, however, 

 important to bear in mind that this period is confined to three 

 weeks only, or six where there are two broods, and as we have 

 previously shown, while the animal diet of the adults during 

 April, May and June is remarkably high, it is almost negligible 

 during July, August, September, October and March. 



Almost every farmer is aware of the damage done by these 

 birds to autumn and spring sown cereals : large areas of newly 

 sown land are laid waste. In many cases great loss is occasioned 

 by the rooting up of seeds which are not consumed. In a like 

 manner the fruit grower can recount serious damage to straw- 

 berry, raspberry, gooseberry, currant, cherry, plum, pear, and 

 apple crops, and here again a large tonnage of fruit is damaged 

 apart from that actually eaten. 



The above figures were obtained from investigations on the 

 starling up to the end of 1918, but we are convinced that a new 

 inquiry at the present time would show that the injuries had 

 become greater, and the benefits less, owing to the further in- 

 crease in the number of individuals. Moreover, if we examine 

 the food of starlings from limited areas we find that in spite 

 of the large number of injurious insects they eat in agricultural 

 districts, the percentage of cereals and cultivated roots is so 

 high that the species must be condemned. In a like manner, 

 in fruit growing districts the injuries far outweigh the benefits 

 conferred. Examined from almost any standpoint the unpreju- 

 diced mind can come to one conclusion only, viz., that the 

 starling has long since risen above the " high water mark of 

 abundance " and in consequence is doing more harm than good. 

 In other words we have too many specimens of one species requir- 

 ing the same kind of food within a limited area, and as the late 

 Professor Beal pointed out, this is the cause in nearly all cases 

 where a bird becomes injurious. 



