378 TUTIRA 



is no more existent than amongst men. There are no doubt degrees of 

 Tearfulness, of timidity, though perhaps as infinitesmal as the differences 

 in height betwixt the lilliputian monarch and his subjects. Thus the 

 actual incitement to move would, like the leadership of the travelling 

 flock of sheep already cited, be shared by many simultaneously, or if 

 that be impossible in time, then one of the migrants a Moses about to 

 lead his congregation into the wilderness would exceed his fellows in 

 celerity of rise by as little as the centre of a taut inch of thread differs in 

 straightness from its extremities. 



There are several lesser matters that may also be reconsidered, sex 

 of leaders, scouting, joint migration, climatic conditions, and general 

 reasons for failure or success in the acclimatisation of aliens. 



As to the first, the sex of leaders, I have little evidence to offer 

 except in regard to rabbits. The pioneer of the advancing wave the 

 first rabbit taken on Tutira was a male ; of the first two or three dozen 

 taken after the vanguard had appeared all were males. Amongst the first 

 hundred or two, males still largely predominated. 



In regard to scouting, there have occurred in my time at Tutira a 

 couple of instances of single birds reappearing reappearing, moreover, 

 almost exactly twelve months later, and almost exactly on the same spots. 

 The first case was that of the goldfinch seen near the wool-shed, and 

 seen again on the same spot in the following season. The second instance 

 was that of the minah, which, crouching close against the wire-netting of 

 the newly completed hen-run, attempted to associate with the fowls. A 

 year later the bird reappeared, again sitting close against the wire- 

 netting exactly, as far as we could judge, on the site previously occupied. 

 The very attitude was similar on the two occasions, an unwonted attitude 

 for a species that under normal conditions never sits or crouches on the 

 ground. It bespoke exhaustion, fear, and friendlessness. Like the rabbit 

 which consorted with the Tangoio turkeys, this minah seemed glad to 

 scrape acquaintance with any living thing. I feel as sure as a man can 

 feel not dealing with marked birds that in each case it was the first seen 

 individual revisiting us. The odds are enormous against another bird 

 reaching by chance precisely, exactly, the same spot at the same time of 

 the year on two sequent seasons. Were these birds scouts ? Were they 

 despatched as bees are said to be sent forth to discover quarters for the 

 expected swarm ? At any rate, both the goldfinch and minah appeared, 

 presumably returned whence they came, and reappeared. After the 



