FOREST AND STREAM. 
45 
AN. II, 1908 .] 
J 
STARLINGS PRAISED. 
'he starling is of much benefit to agricul- 
lists, as its food consists principally of worms, 
lils, and insects in their different stages. It 
^specially useful in clearing off chafer larvae 
ill other larvae of the same habits in meadows 
Jl pastures, and surface caterpillars in turnip 
,il mangold fields. The destructive larvae of 
1 antler moth, the diamond-back moth, the 
i er Y moth, and of other moths, as well as 
1 se of the “daddy long-legs” and the click 
<tle (known as wire-worms), are also eagerly 
koured by this bird. In the late autumn and 
wter, when the starlings congregate in flocks, 
as the British Sportsman, they clear whole 
ids of injurious insects in larval or pupal 
cm, and their sharp eyes detect the eggs of at 
est the larger insects upon forest and or- 
1 rd trees. The insects that hibernate in the 
i.al or pupal form upon fruit and other trees 
1, without doubt, picked out of their winter 
[tirters by the long, pointed beaks of these 
lrp-eyed, restless birds. 
.ome years ago, in a large and richly stocked 
vsery in Belgium, chafter beetles became so 
tmerous as to be a very serious infestation, 
ter trying by all known means to eradicate 
hm, the proprietor observed that starlings de- 
c.red large numbers both of the larvae and 
1 mature insects. Taking a lesson from this, 
(■erected about half-a-dozen nesting-boxes on 
;ioot poles, and as these were immediately 
i-upied by the birds, he continued to provide 
Mces until 125 were in use. The result was 
Ft the chafer infestation grew gradually less, 
1. was finally completely overcome, 
heep regard starlings as their natural friends, 
:J permit them to alight on their backs to 
ce out the keds, ticks, etc., from their wool. 
Sue farmers, however, maintain that the 
vppings which starlings deposit on the backs 
1 sheep attract flies, and that sheep are not in- 
tquently “struck” by maggots exactly on the 
pt (the loins) where the birds most usually 
(tie. In early summer it will often be found 
Ft cattle on pastures are accompanied by 
tidings, each animal being surrounded at a 
I tance of a few feet by about half-a-dozen 
lids. Whether these are attracted by the 
trms that are apt to come to the surface of 
1 ground when disturbed by the treading of 
?de, or are on the lookout for the maggots 
1 the warble-fly, which in spring and early 
nmer drop from the backs of cattle, has not 
>|:n definitely made out. 
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING. 
Jnder this interesting title William G. Fitz- 
]rald discusses in the Technical World Mag- 
jne for December what are the prospects for 
tin’s scaling the world’s highest peaks and 
tat problems are involved in the effort. He 
ts: “It is just fifty years since mountaineer- 
tj became a science. First the Alps were con- 
[-red; then the Caucasus range. Gradually the 
dnber developed into a trained explorer and 
tjp-maker. He attacked the New Zealand 
nks, the mighty Andes, and then the ‘Ramps 
>. Himalay,’ where the highest land on this 
ifnet is found. Even the central African 
fountains of the Moon,’ held mysterious and 
ired for ages, were not exempt from invasion; 
d terrible Ruwenzori was conquered last 
'nr by the Duke of Abruzzi. 
Thus the Swiss pastime of Huxley and 
.ndall itself became an elaborate science, as 
>y be traced in the record of Sir William 
i.rtin Conway, greatest of living Alpinists. Be- 
f ning with a traverse of the Alps from end to 
- 1 , he went on to the Karakoram Himalayas, 
re he reached twenty-two thousand feet after 
tny adventures, great outlay and much suffer- 
C He surveyed and mapped two thousand 
i es of the world’s mightiest range. Next came 
1 desolate peaks of Arctic Spitzbergen, and 
er them the towering domes of Sorata and 
mani, in the Andes of Bolivia. And lastly, 
'oncagua and the glaciers of Tierra del 
■ego.” 
R. E. P. 
SPORTING GOODS 
COMPANY 
Our New Catalogues for 1908 will 
soon be ready. 
No. 1. Guns, Ammunition and Fish¬ 
ing Tackle and Camp Goods. 
No. 2." r Automobile Supplies. 
No. 3. Kodaks and Athletic Goods. 
Get on the mailing list now and insure .V 
getting one or all of the above on pub- ♦> 
lication. 
A 
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which have built up Bristol's prestige as "The rod that 
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every Bristol. Beautiful illustrated catalogue mailed free. 
THE HORTON MFG. CO. 
\ ^ 84 Horton St. 
L\ N. JM, ^Bristol, Conn. 
TROUT FLIES Assorted 12c 
Split Bamboo Rods, 75c 
j pieces, extra tip. Fly, 10 eet; Bait, 8 % feet. 
STEEL RODS $1.50 
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Send for Catalogue (no charge) in which you will find everything in the Tackle Lin*. 
CHARLES DISCH, 
518 FULTON STREET. - - - BROOKLYN. N. Y 
Hunting Without a Gun. 
And other papers. By Rowland E. Robinson. With 
illustrations from drawings by Rachael Robinson. 
Price, $2.00. 
This is a collection of papers on different themes con¬ 
tributed to Forest and Stream and other publications, 
and now for the first time brought together. 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
Some Native Birds for Little Folks. 
By Dr. W. Van Fleet. Illustrated by Howard H. 
Darnell. Cloth, 146 pages, with 14 photogravure 
plates. Price, $1.00. 
Foutteen well-known birds are described, viz.: the 
wood duck, the great homel owl, the ruffed grouse and 
young, the kildeer plover and young, the bobolink, the 
bluejay, the chickadee, the cedar bird, the meadow lark, 
the robin, the woodcock, the kingfisher, the crossbill 
and nuthatches. The illustrations are charming, and 
the accounts of the birds’ habits very happily written. 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
HITTING vs. MISSING. 
By S. T. Hammond (“Shadow”). Cloth. Price, $1.00. 
Mr. Hammond enjoys among his field companions the 
repute of being an unusually good shot, and one who is 
particularly successful in that most difficult branch of 
upland shooting, the pursuit of the ruffed grouse or 
partridge. This prompted the suggestion that he should 
write down for others an exposition of the methods by 
which his skill was acquired. The result is this original 
manual of “Hitting vs. Missing.” We term it original, 
because, as the chapters will show, the author was self- 
taught; the expedients and devices adopted and the forms 
of practice followed were his own. This then may be 
termed the Hammond system of shooting; and as it was 
successful in his own experience, being here set forth 
simply and intelligently, it will prove not less effective 
with others. 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
Game Laws in Brief 
A complete and accurate compen¬ 
dium of the game and fish laws of the 
United States and Canada. Revised 
for 1907. 
The accepted authority, with an 
established reputation for reliability. 
If the Brief says so, you may depend 
on it. 
Sold by dealers everywhere, for 
25 cents, postpaid by 
FOREST AND STREAM PUB. CO. 
WILDFOWL SHOOTING. 
Containing Scientific and Practical Descriptions of 
Wildfowl; Their Resorts, Habits, Flights, and the Most 
Successful Method of Hunting Them. Treating of the 
selection of guns for wildfowl shooting, how to load, aim 
and to use them; decoys and the proper manner of 
using them; blinds, how and where to construct them; 
boats, how to use and build them scientifically; re¬ 
trievers, their characteristics, how to select and train 
them. By William Bruce Leffingwell. Illustrated. 373 
pages. Price, in cloth, $1.50; half morocco, $2.60. 
FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING CO. 
