\Jvhj 2, 1912 
(il4 Agricultural Gazette of N.S. IF. 
had to be watched from the time they first began to colour until they wei'e 
ready to market. A few associations in Gippsland and other farming 
districts claimed that the starlings ivere their best friends, and killed many 
insects, particularly caterjiillars, cut-worms, and grasshoppers. 
Mr. C. French, jun., writing upon fruit-eating birds in the Victorian 
Journal of Agriculture, 1905, gives a brief account of the starling. He 
says 
There can be no doubt about the starling beinu; a most pernicious enemy to the fruit¬ 
grower and viticulturist in this State. The starlings are increasing a thousand times 
faster than their natural food ; hence they must avail themselves of such as is obtainable. 
From the evidence placed before him, the Minister offered to place £500 
on the Estimates to aid in the destruction of the starlings, if the Councils 
would pay half the bonus of 6d. per dozen for starlings’ heads; but ditii- 
culties cropped up, and this form of bonus was dropped. Tlie Victorian 
fruit-growers in starling-infested areas are just as positive at the present 
time that the starling, as far as they are concerned, is one of their most 
serious foes. 
In the March number of the Agricultural Gazette of Tasmania are publi.shpd 
the results of the discussion raised at the meetings of the country Boards of 
Agriculture, “ Should starlings be protected ? ” AVe find that eight of the 
as.sociations declared that the starling was more beneficial than otherwise, and 
several Boards reported in favour of their being protected. Colonel Legge, 
hon. secretary of tlie Agricultural Board of St. Mary’s, went so far as to say 
that starlings were purely insectivorous; that they had acquired the habit of 
eating fruit in Tasmania, and also the objectionable habit of nesting in ihe 
chimney-spouts and roofs, because they had been liberated in the towns and 
not in the country. Such statements are certainly not borne out by the 
investigations of their habits at the present time in England. In one report— 
that of the Tamar Farmers and Fruitgrower’s Association—the starling was 
recorded doing much harm by attacking fruit and sprouting grain ; lait this 
was (]ualified by the following statement:— 
But they rendered yeoman service in other ways, as grub exterminators, being 
especially helpful in mitigating the grass grub pest. 
This is a remarkable example of the same bird under different conditions 
developing different habits, for while a bonus is bdng paid for starlings’ heads 
in Victoria, just across the Straits in Tasmania the fartners are advising their 
protection. 
The Starling and the Sheep-Maggot Fly. 
Within the last few years the increase in the starling population of our 
towns has led to a striking migration of these birds in large flocks from the 
town into the country. In the southern and south-westei-ii districts these 
flocks have been observed among the sheep on the plains and have been seen 
upon their backs picking off the ticks. This is a common habit in Europe. 
Retzema Bos, previously quoted, says : — 
Starlings often settle on the b.mks of sheep and cows to pick off the vermin. 
