Chapter IV 

 BIRDS 



The classification adopted for this class is that used by Dr A. H. EVANS, 

 in the Cambridge Natural History, 1899. 



SOMEWHERE about 130 species of birds have been introduced into 

 New Zealand since the date of Captain Cook's landing, but it is 

 difficult in many cases to distinguish between mere aviary and cage 

 species, and those which it was seriously attempted to naturalise. 

 Besides, of those introduced it is impossible to identify quite a number, 

 and their names may be synonyms of others already recognised. Thus 

 when a society reports that it has introduced so many Indian doves 

 or Indian pigeons, it is manifestly impossible to identify them. 



Excluding the common wax-eye, blight-bird or twinkie (Zosterops 

 later alls), which apparently has come in from Australia within the 

 last 60 years and has become extremely abundant, and birds like 

 the Australian swallow (Hirundo neoxend), which is an occasional 

 visitor and a migrant, all the species which have been introduced 

 have been purposely brought in. 



The following are the only immigrants which have become truly 

 wild: mallard, Canadian goose, black swan, common pheasant, 

 Chinese pheasant, Australian swamp quail, Calif ornian quail, common 

 pigeon, little brown owl, skylark, thrush, blackbird, hedge sparrow, 

 Australian magpie, rook, starling, Indian minah, house sparrow, chaf- 

 finch, redpole, goldfinch, greenfinch, cirl bunting and yellow-hammer, 

 a total of 24 species. The record of failures is much greater than that 

 of successes. 



Order RATIT^) 



Family STRUTHIONID^ 



Solomon Island Cassowary ; Mooruk (Casuarius Bennetti) 



Sir Geo. Grey imported some of these birds in 1868, and handed 

 them over to the Auckland Society ; but there is no record as to what 

 came of them 1 . 



1 Major Bunbury in his report on the proclamation of Stewart Island as Her 

 Majesty's possession in 1840, says: "The cassiowary has also been seen in different 

 parts of the island." The reference is no doubt to the large kiwi, Apteryx australis. 



