INTRODUCTION 25 



who found in them an easily procurable supply of 

 food, but for the subsequent decimation of the 

 New Zealand fauna Englishmen themselves are 

 solely to blame. There can be little doubt that 

 one of the most deadly exterminators of the 

 indigenous birds of New Zealand is the rat. The 

 brown rat was introduced into the islands during 

 the very earliest days of their settlement, and, as 

 usual wherever it finds its way, it took readily to 

 its new home and multiplied apace. Then came 

 the introduction of stoats and weasels, and between 

 them these bloodthirsty little animals have worked 

 sad havoc amongst the indigenous birds, most 

 of which are, or were, not only exceptionally tame 

 and unsuspecting in a land where there were few 

 or no enemies, but made their nests in places 

 readily accessible to these four-footed invaders. 

 When brought under the influence of such changed 

 conditions, most birds seem powerless to avert their 

 threatened extinction, and instances are excessively 

 rare in which a species has altered its habits to 

 escape from an entirely new danger. One such 

 instance we may, however, quote — that of the 

 Samoan Pigeon (Bidunculus strigirostris). This 

 species, in order to escape the cats which threatened 

 speedily to exterminate it, is said to have taken to 



