178 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Feb. io, 1912 
Starlings. 
W.\SHiNGTON, D. C., Feb. 3. — Editor Forest 
ond Stream: Noticing the request for infor¬ 
mation contained in Forest and Stre.am for 
Feb. 3, regarding the present range of the 
European starling (Stnniiis vulgaris) in this 
country, I am able to state that two individuals 
were obtained out of a flock about the middle 
of January, in the neighborhood of the Ana- 
costia River, Washington, D. C. The specimens 
were brought to the United States National 
Museum for mounting, and will be made a part 
of the exhibit of the birds of the District of 
Columbia, now being prepared for that insti¬ 
tution. 
Referring to the ability of the starling to en¬ 
dure the present severe winter weather, it 
should be remembered that it is a very hardy 
species, being originally an inhabitant of North¬ 
western Europe and a regular summer visitor 
to the British Isles and Scandinavia, spending 
the winters further south. They often reach 
their European summer haunts while the snow 
is yet on the ground and the cold occasionally 
intense, yet the damage inflicted on them by 
such severe weather conditions always seems 
slight. It is, therefore, not to be anticipated 
that the birds will succumb or even suffer ma¬ 
terial injury from the harshness of American 
winters, at least on the Atlantic seaboard. 
What will be more interesting to observe in the 
future is the evolution of their migratory in¬ 
stinct in the new environment and the possible 
acquirement of subspecific characteristics under 
the same conditions, a somewhat parallel case 
being that of the starling of the Faroe Islands 
(Stiirnus vjdgaris faroensis Feilden), now recog¬ 
nized as a subspecies. 
It is to be hoped, from the viewpoint of both 
the farmer and the ornithologist, that this ex¬ 
tremely useful and attractive bird will meet with 
and deserve encouragement and protection in 
its new found home, thus offsetting, to some 
extent at least, the prejudice created against 
European bird immigrants by the odious ex¬ 
ample of the common house sparrow. 
S. M. Gronberger. 
Albany, N. Y., Feb. 5. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Your interesting note on the starling, 
appended to a communication from a Maryland 
correspondent in your last issue, calls attention 
tO' the fact that under the “uniform” game law 
advocated by the Conservation Commission, 
this bird is mentioned and placed in the un¬ 
protected list. 
Originally the section (219) headed, “Certain 
wild birds protected,” read: “Wild birds other 
than the English sparrow, crow, crow-blackbird, 
snow-owl, great horned owl, and kingfisher and 
bittern shall not be taken or possessed at any 
time, dead or alive, etc.” 
After considerable discussion in which Mr. 
Flornaday and Mr. Pierson led. the section, it 
is understood, was made to read: “Wild birds 
other than the English sparrow, crow. Cooper’s 
hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, crow-blackbird. 
snow-owl, great horned-owl, kingfisher and 
starling shall not be taken, etc.” There is some 
uncertainty about the bittern, but certain up- 
State members of the Legislature think it ought 
to be protected and will insist on it. The 1911 
law as it now is excepts from protection the 
English sparrow, crow, hawk, crow-blackbird, 
snow-owl, great horned owl and kingfisher. 
The bittern was added by the uniform com¬ 
mittee. J. D. WmsH. 
Sparrows and the Cold. 
New York City, Jan. 27.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: During the recent zero weather I hap¬ 
pened to be in Prospect Park one day and there 
saw a curious sight, viz.: a number of English 
sparrows taking a bath in the icy waters of a 
little stream which had not frozen as it fell over 
a rock. On the surrounding bushes perhaps a 
thousand more of the birds had gathered, and 
when one or more of the bathers had performed 
their ablutions, their places were immediately 
taken by others. The most curious thing was 
that they actually plunged into the water, and 
rufliing their plumage shook themselves about 
until they seemed to become thoroughly satu¬ 
rated ; then they would betake themselves to the 
bushes and commence pluming themselves. All 
the time a grand chirping was kept up which be¬ 
tokened very plainly enjoyment and content. And 
yet, be it remembered, the thermometer registered 
only a few degrees above zero. 
Nothing could better illustrate the hardiness 
of the English sparrow. It actually seems to 
revel in the cold. A friend of mine lately re¬ 
turned from Canada tells me he found it there 
hale and hearty with the thermometer 30 degrees 
below zero. It may yet be found within the 
arctic circle and it certain'y will if it can solve 
the food question. But how does it withstand 
the cold? A bird of the temperate zone, with¬ 
out the thick plumage and down of arctic birds, 
such as the ptarmigan or the owl, it will sit ex¬ 
posed all night to a zero tempera'ure and not 
freeze. There is something almost supernatural 
about it. We certainly cannot tell how it is any 
more than we can tell how the Virginian 
curlew develops power to carry it from Labrador 
to Brazil (a distance of 3000 mi es) in one grand 
flight. Frank Moonan. 
Pine Grosbeaks in Winter. 
Jacksonville, Ill., Feb. i. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: The following paragraph is from a 
Traverse City, Michigan, paper of recent date: 
“Bird lovers are noting with interest the visi¬ 
tation of a flock of pine grosbeaks within the 
city li|nits. The flock seems to consist mostly 
of females and young males not yet in full 
plumage, nevertheless strikingly beautiful in 
their markings of saffron yellow or red. 
Perched high in a tree the effect is that of a 
bird a little smaller than a robin, with ashy 
breast and black wings marked with white, but 
on closer scrutiny the brilliant coloring of 
head, cheeks, and back is visible, as the bird 
feasts in the pine trees or devours the moun¬ 
tain ash berries. Attention may first be attract¬ 
ed by a short song as sweet as it is unusual, 
coming in the dead of winter with the thermo¬ 
meter below zero. These birds are protected 
by law, and a heavy fine imposed on those who 
kill them.” 
I remember last winter a similar notice of the 
appearance there of the evening grosbeak. I 
have seen the pine grosbeak occasionally in the 
mountains of Northwest Montana; never in this 
part of the country. The evening grosbeak has 
for years been of special interest to me because 
some twenty years ago, while in college, I found 
a flock of these birds in Central Indiana, and 
the fact was reported in various ornithological 
journals and for a year or so I kept receiving 
letters from various parts of the country regard¬ 
ing it. As I now remember, it was the first 
fully authenticated case where these birds had 
been noted so far south, and it really created 
quite a stir in the bird world. So far as I 
know they have never been found in Indiana 
since. 
We have here the rose-breasted grosbeak dur¬ 
ing the summer season in rather large numbers. 
They nest in our trees and at a certain season 
one cannot be outdoors long without hearing 
the peculiar plaintive call note of the baby rose- 
breast begging for his dinner. While so com¬ 
mon here, I never saw them in Indiana, and I 
have often wondered if they appeared in any 
part of that State. L. O. Vaught. 
Mr. Bell’s Caribou Group. 
Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 27.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: A beautiful group of the New¬ 
foundland caribou {Rangifer terranovee) has 
recently been added to the natural history de¬ 
partment of the Minnesota University. The 
group consists of four specimens; one of the 
males carries a magnificent pair of ant ers. The 
surroundings represent a Newfoundland hog in 
the fall, the whole forming a very good repre¬ 
sentation of a typical Newfoundland landscape. 
The material was collected by J. F. Bell, of this 
city, who also furnished the money for the 
preparation of the group and then donated it 
to the University. Mr. Bell is a true sportsman 
who believes that what is worth killing is worth 
preserving. Minneapo’is is fortunate indeed in 
having a man like ]\Ir. Bell. J. W. Franzen. 
Rabbit Diseases. 
Pomeroy, Wash., Jan. 24.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In the last issue of Forest and Stream 
F. T. Webber speaks of rabbits being diseased. 
'I'he rabbits are afflicted, here the same way and 
the disease is called tuberculosis. Very few peo¬ 
ple here use them for food. The fluid Mr. 
Webber speaks of is fi'led with little white par¬ 
ticles which look like little tiny pimples. I 
think myself it is very questionable food and 
should be forbidden to be used as such. Now, 
can anyone tell me why the cottontail rabbit is 
not afflicted with the disease. The}' seem to 
be entirely free of anything of the kind and are 
much used for food. C. Obenland. 
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supply you regularly. 
