along with the House Sparrow, the St in public estimation. Even its latin name is

against it-

In its feeding habits the Sterling is enti-ely benefinial- It scorns most grains but consumes enormous quantities of insect pests and their larvae- Rhen insects are unavailable, Starlings congregate where peOple live and throw out food for them. Bread scraps they welcome, and if the bread is miXed with fat it is sheer ecstasy= to a starling-

Cddly, starlings appear to need a squadron leader- I h ve often put out food in full view of the starlings watching from nearby trees, and have gone back into the house and looked out a window. Jot a move---until the leader came and approached cautiously by his usual route-Instantly the whole flock descended upon the f00d. ther times the leader was present when I came wit the food. He would sit in the cherry tree a few feet away utterina squeaks of anticipation- As soon as I left he would be down getting a few bites before the horde swarmed in- Thus he continued to be a super starling-

Apparently the starlings Operate a sentinel system- The moment the local flock sw00ps down to the food, the sentinels get (and probably give) the message, and starlings——scores of them--zero in like spokes of a wheel.

Never have.I seen a sparrow, a sna

It should be adde hat starlings a vehicle driving in—-only a star take refuge in a tree-

a sterling lift a beak against another sterling, or even against er bird- Their motto seems to be “one for all and all for one"- t

re very timorous- Children in the next yard, ng knows what causes them to desert food and

l

A - . 1 a

In 1890 and 1891, one hundred starlings were brought from the Old World and releas- ed in Central Park, New York City. They thrived well and have spread all over the United States and into Canada- Their prolificness is what has made them a nuisance and therefore undesirable- They have up to three broods a year of from five to eight chicks- Because they are so numerous, and are there first, they get the nesting places that we would rather the more desirable songbirds occupied.

Often a very new bird watcher is puzzled- Having seen this dark bird with irri— descent feathers and long yellOW bill in spring and summer, they wonder about the new speckled bird with the dark bill that they see in the fall and winter- Under— -standably, they are a bit let down when told it is only a starling-

Starlings are notable bathers—-both in water and in snow- on a Christmas bird

_ Count I once stopped to watch starlings making much ado in an icy puddle. Light fluffy snow brings them joy. One bird will dive in, then the whole flock will be there scuffling up a small snowstorm. Doubtless their habit of close communal roosting makes the washings necessary-

Canadian winters make life difficult for the starling--a pennanent resident. They sometimes select unlikely lodging places, for example, the concrete ledge above the second—storey windows of the Telephone Building on Fitzroy Street--and of all places,the northwest corner. Opportunists they are too. Building was going on near here and the board had been nailed unto the foot of the rafters leaving a shelf at the end- The starlings Spotted it and roosted there by the dozen- They were soon discovered and excluded- Then they were reading the vacancy ads again-

hargaret 3- hallett, Charlottetown-