202 EEPORT— 1891. 



lost in bush districts. The only other insect whose naturalisa- 

 tion has been attempted is the humble-bee {Bomhus terrestris), 

 and the experiment, as I have shown elsewhere, has been suc- 

 cessful beyond expectation. 



(d.) Unsuccessful Attempts at Natuealisation, 



To the naturalist, the unsuccessful attempts which have 

 been made to introduce animals and plants into a country like 

 this are fully as interesting as the successful cases, and the 

 causes of failure are well worthy of investigation. 



I find, for example, that in 1867 and succeeding years the 

 Otago Acclimatisation Society introduced about tw^enty-three 

 species of foreign birds, of which little or no trace is now ta 

 be found. The mistake was made of turning out too few indi- 

 viduals, and even those were not always liberated in the same 

 locality. The chances therefore of their being able to survive 

 to the breeding-season were diminished. This no doubt ac- 

 counts for the non-appearance of such birds as redpoles, 

 reed-sparrows, English wild-ducks, and numerous Australian 

 birds. Yet some have succeeded in establishing themselves 

 even from very small beginings. Thus, twenty linnets, eight 

 greenfinches, thirty-three chaffinches, eighteen hedge-sparrows, 

 eight yellowhammers, and seven cirl-buntings were the total 

 numbers of individuals of these species turned out b}- the 

 local society, but all these birds are now to be found in Otago,- 

 some of them in vast numbers. No doubt other societies 

 turned them out also, but most of those found locally are 

 almost certainly the descendants of those liberated about 

 Dunedin. 



Some introduced birds, which at one time showed signs of 

 increasing, have since disappeared. Thus, Australian magpies 

 formerly bred in and about Dunedin and Balclutha, but they 

 have become extinct of late years ; the cause, however, of their 

 disappearance is not known. Similarly, Indian minahs {Acri- 

 dotheres iristis) at one time — about fifteen years ago — began to 

 increase both in Dunedin and Christchurch, but they have 

 since completely disappeared, apparently having been driven 

 away by a more recent introduction, the starling. 



The experiences of many of the acclimatisation societies 

 with the salmon — both Salmo solar and S. quinnat — are w^ell 

 known. Up to within the last three or four years the record 

 has been one of continuous failure. The latest experiments 

 give promise of proving successful. The selection of one river 

 into which the fry are turned by the hundred thousand is 

 much more likely to lead to the ultimate stocking of it than 

 the former mode of distributing the young fish over a number 

 of streams in which it was impossible to watch them. But 

 too little is yet known as to the habits of the salmon after 



