THE SAVING OF VANISHING DATA. 223 



colonization, and the intentional or accidental importation of plants 

 and animals, a very rapid change is affecting the character of the 

 indigenous life of numerous districts. This is notably the case in 

 oceanic islands, the area of which is often extremely limited, and whose 

 native forms have been found to be specially liable to be swamped by 

 the immigrants; but it is just those spots which are of especial interest 

 to the naturalist, on account of their isolation from the great land 

 areas. Thus the flora and fauna of many of the most interesting dis- 

 tricts for the field-naturalist are in our day becoming largely extermi- 

 nated before they have been adequately recorded. The investigation of 

 disappearing animals and plants can, in many cases, be undertaken 

 by us alone and even now much has disappeared and more is fast pass- 

 ing away. Attention has been called to the spread of land species 

 by the agency of man by Mr. L. 0. Howard, of Washington. In this 

 very interesting and suggestive article* he deals more especially with 

 insects and most of his illustrations are drawn from America. 



In other parts of the world the same dislocation of the indigenous 

 fauna is taking place and even the flora is also becoming modified, for 

 example, Sir Walter Buller, F.R.S., has statedf that all the more inter- 

 esting birds of New Zealand are passing away. Not a few species have 

 already been exterminated, many more are on the borderland, so to 

 speak, of final extinction; and some even of the commonest birds of 

 thirty years ago have become so scarce that it is difficult to know where 

 to look for them. The saddest part of it is that it seems hopeless now 

 to arrest the evil, owing to the introduction of stoats, weasels and ferrets 

 that are now swarming over every part of the country and defy all 

 attempts to check their increase. The following facts speaks for them- 

 selves. No specimen of the once very abundant New Zealand quail 

 (Coturnix novae zealandice) has been seen for a quarter of a century: 

 of the celebrated Notornis mantelli only three perfect specimens have 

 been obtained; it is probably extinct. Even the extremely abundant 

 woodhens {Ocydromus sp.) are on the verge of extinction, as are the 

 various species of kiwi (Apteryx), the great ground parrot (Stingops 

 habroptilus) , the stitch-bird (Pogonornis cincta), the bell-bird, the 

 native robin, and many others, not forgetting the beautiful huia or 

 mountain starling (Heteralocha acutirostris), celebrated in Maori song 

 and tradition. The huia, which is greatly prized by the Maoris on 

 account of its tail feathers for personal adornment and as a badge of 

 tribal mourning -has, from time immemorial, been confined to a narrow 

 strip of mostly mountainous wooded country forming part of the old 

 Wellington Province. 



* Science, N. S., Vol. VI., September 10, 1S97. p. 3S2. 



f'The Vanishing Forms of Bird-life in Xew Zealand.* The Press, Christ- 

 church, N. Z., January 11, 1807. 



