Ornithological and Other Oddities 



when it associates with starlings till some one 

 shoots it. 



The game-birds stand a better chance of sur- 

 vival than most imported aliens, being carefully 

 looked after by sportsmen ; but the attempts 

 made many years ago to introduce the American 

 quail or bob- white {Ortyx virginianus) ended 

 in failure — a great pity, as this is an excellent 

 little sporting bird. 



In considering the causes which lead to the 

 failure of imported birds to establish themselves, 

 I think we may dismiss the competition of our 

 own species. It is true that the resistance of the 

 previous occupants is one of the most serious 

 obstacles to birds attempting to colonise a new 

 locality, as was long ago pointed out by Darwin ; 

 but none of the species already mentioned would 

 be likely to succumb to this. 



The Pekin robin, though no fighter, is so 

 active and cunning that he has nothing" to fear 

 from our small birds. A pair in the aviary of an 

 amateur of my acquaintance were so smart that 

 they would snatch food from the bill of a missel- 

 thrush kept with them. The budgerigar, like 

 most parrots, is more than a match for any bird 

 its own size, and the dandified little Mandarin 

 and Carolina drakes would not fear the com- 

 petition of the mallard in the least ; while as to 



the rosy pastor, it is, as I have said, readily 



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