22 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



the Western Aviai\y in the Zoological Societ3''s Gardens, 

 where it may still be seen in good health, and in much 

 improved plumage. 



" Now, how did this bird get to Dover ? On mj"^ men- 

 tioning the circumstances of its capture to Mr. A. D. 

 Bartlett, whose long experience as Superintendent of the 

 Zoological Society's Gardens gives weight to his opinion 

 in such matters, he was inclined to believe that it had 

 escaped from some homeward-bound vessel in the Channel, 

 and had made for the nearest land ; a view which he 

 thought was strengthened by the fact that the bird when 

 he received it was very tame. 



" In this I do not quite concur, for I imagine that 

 most homeward-bound vessels from New York return to 

 Liverpool and not via Dover ; while the bird's tameness 

 is easily accounted for by the fact that when Mr. Bartlett 

 received it into his care it had already been in captivity 

 for about six months. I am thus disposed to regard this 

 as a genuine case of involuntary immigration. Many 

 such cases are already on record, and although this 

 particular species is not known with certainty to have 

 occurred here before, it has been met with on more than 

 one occasion on the European continent, and, from its 

 migratory habits, is just one of those birds which one 

 would naturally expect now and then to arrive." — J. E, 

 Harting, Zoologist, 1877, p. 14. 



"Mr. Harting forgot that a vast number of European 

 vessels are continually passing up the English Channel 

 for Continental ports from American ports. The majority 

 of the German vessels carry a horde of live mammals and 

 birds, as pets and for profit. If a bird escaped no further 

 trouble would be taken about it, and the owner would 

 never see the Zoologist or hear of the bird's capture in 



