28 
RED-WINGED STARLING. 
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 Crow T s and Purple 
Grakles are the principal pests in planting time,) consists of 
grub-worms, caterpillars, and various other larvae, 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 together. 
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 insects 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 moderate 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 wdiole extent of the United States in summer ; whose 
food, being nearly the same, would swell the amount of vermin 
destroyed to twelve thousand millions. But the number of 
young birds may be fairly estimated at double that of their 
parents ; and, as these are constantly fed on larvse 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 
mere supposition. It is, however, supposition founded on 
known and acknowledged facts. I have never dissected any 
