154 A NEW ZEALAND NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. 



two following years the local Acclimatisation Society 

 liberated twenty linnets and eight greenfinches, yet the 

 former failed to establish themselves, while the green- 

 finches increased rapidly and are now extremely abundant 

 in corn-growing districts, where they no doubt do much 

 good during the year by keeping down insects, but run up 

 a big debit balance when the grain is ripening by their 

 wholesale attacks on it. Ten redpoles were introduced 

 about the same time, and these birds are common in the 

 East Coast districts, though they are almost never seen 

 in the neighbourhood of towns. On the other hand, thirty- 

 three chaffinches were set free, and these birds for a time 

 became quite common, yet of late years they have been 

 diminishing in numbers, and are now only to be met with 

 occasionally. One still comes across a specimen, or hears 

 their easily-recognised note now and again in Maori Hill, 

 but I rarely see them elsewhere. Similarly, seven cirl 

 buntings and eight yellow-hammers were liberated here, 

 and for a time they increased, but now they are not to be 

 seen about town. The latter-named bird is still, I believe, 

 one of those which occur among the grain-eaters in the 

 Taieri and elsewhere, but the last cirl bunting I saw was 

 on the Saddle Hill road some few years ago. 



The local Society spent a good deal of money in the early 

 days on other kinds of birds, which seem to have been 

 introduced on no general principle except that those who 

 suggested them knew them or of them in Australia or the 

 Old Country. These were liberated in such small numbers 

 that their chances of breeding were small, and natxirally 

 they were never heard of after the first few months. The 

 mere enumeration of their names is interesting, and it 

 will probably surprise many persons to know how many 

 attempts at naturalisation of birds have failed. Here is 

 the list : Wonga-wonga Pigeons, 12 ; Bronze-wing Pigeons, 

 6 ; Laughing Jackass (Australian Kingfisher), 6 ; Australian 

 Owls, 2 ; Australian Wax-bills, 4 ; Australian Land Bails, 

 2 ; Java Doves, 5 ; Mountain Sparrows, 2 ; Twites, ? ; Reed 

 Sparrows, 4; and probably some others. The most un- 

 accountable failure in this work of naturalisation was in 



