108 BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
1890 ; they had been hatched in the garden of the Free 
Church Manse, Annan, and the female bird, it was 
observed, was on March 1st engaged in hatching her 
second lot of eggs. On January 3rd, 1908, Mr. Andrew 
Callow, Stenhouse Cottage (Tynron), discovered " m the 
hollow of a plane tree near his house the nest of a Starhng. 
It contained five young ones, hvely, noisy, and in the early 
feathering stage of development."* 
The coloration of the eggs of this species is, I think, 
considerably hghter than it used to be, the standard of 
pale blue being lowered to bluish-white. 
As regards the utihty of the species, Mr. Fred. V. 
Theobald writes : " The general opinion may be summed 
up that the Starling is most beneficial to the farmer 
and stock-breeder, and should be encouraged ; but that 
in fruit districts its numbers should be kept down, f 
Writing in 1908, " Mabie Moss " states that this bird 
has only taken to eating elderberries during the last twenty 
years J They are eager devourers of wire-worms and cock- 
chafers ; and Richard Bell of Castle O'er states that m 
June, 1885, when the plague of caterpillars of the antler- 
moth was at its height in Eskdalemuir, thousands upon 
thousands of StarHngs visited the pasture-land. They dug 
up the stones on the roads for grit to such an extent that 
the actual surface became loose.§ In the summer months 
they may be seen catching flies and insects in the air, a 
habit, it is beUeved, only acquired in comparatively recent 
years. 
When moving about in very large flocks they do con- 
siderable damage to the trees, shrubs, and undergrowth 
where they roost, and should therefore be banished from 
any valuable plantation. At Winterseugh, or Starhng Wood 
(Cummertrees), some ten to twelve thousand StarHngs 
* Dumfries Courier and Herald, January 8th, 1908. 
t Science Progress, 1907, Vol. II., p. 280. 
% Kirkcudbright Advertiser, November 27th, 1908. 
§ Trans. D. and G. Nat. Hist. Soc, April 17th, 1901. 
