Innumerable Wings "
How does it come about that one species of animal will suddenly multiply out of all reason? With such creatures as mice and voles there is usually a cycle culminating in a sort of plague and thereafter declining again. This may happen with some birds; has happened with pigeons. On the other hand some species after sudden increase hold their ground. The latest example is the starling. Excessive numbers, even to defying census-makers in Britain, are reported not only from other parts of Europe, but from the Americas. Their roosting numbers are such that they kill plantations, and they have become much more ardent.fruitarians, attacking apples and pears as well as their old favourite, the cherry. Flocks now arriving in England from the North are of fantastic size. One of their peculiarities is their fondness for the town, London especially, as a dormitory. They fly in from great distances, returning individually each night, it is thought, to exactly the same spot: Some gardeners say that they now have fewer starling visitors; and the explanation seems to be that the bird has become more gregarious. The old "murmurations of stares " have grown to bellowings.
Previous page
