176 BIRDS 



failed to establish themselves. Their occurrence is very erratic. At 

 one time they increased to a very considerable extent in Otago ; then 

 they seemed to become quite rare. Now they are more common 

 again. Mr Drummond reports something of the same kind as occur- 

 ring near Christchurch. 



If all the cirl buntings now in New Zealand are descended from 

 the seven originally liberated in Otago, the case is certainly a very 

 interesting one. 



* Yellow-hammer (Emberiza citrinelld) 



The Nelson Society introduced three of these birds in 1862, but 

 kept no further record. 



The Auckland Society introduced eight in 1865, four in 1867, 

 five in 1868, a number (unspecified) in 1869, 16 (out of 148 shipped) 

 in 1870, and 312 in 1871. 



The Canterbury Society introduced one in 1867, and 34 in 

 1871. 



The Otago Society introduced eight in 1 868 , and 3 1 in 1 87 1 . 



They quickly spread all over New Zealand, and to day are common 

 from Foveaux Straits to the extreme north of the North Island. In 

 1879, 32 were liberated in Stewart Island, but they have not been 

 seen there for years. 



They are destroyed wholesale as noxious pests in all grain-growing 

 districts, a price being put on their heads, and their eggs being 

 purchased by thousands by the county councils. Mr W. W. Smith, 

 writing from Taranaki, where they are very numerous, in February, 

 1916, says : "When at Rangiotu Camp on August 2nd, last, I observed 

 these birds there in hundreds, quite tame, subsisting on bread, etc., 

 thrown out from the soldiers' mess." Mr Philpott states (August, 

 1916) that they were not uncommon in Southland 30 years ago, 

 but are now very rarely met with. Within the last few years (1918) 

 it has become rather more plentiful. Lieut. Cox in 1910, recorded 

 yellow-hammers as occurring in the Chatham Islands, to which they 

 had found their own way across 470 miles of ocean. 



Ortolan ; Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) 

 The Wellington Society imported three pairs in 1885, and they 

 were liberated near Otaki. They bred in the following year, and the 

 report says "there is now a small flock." That is, however, the last 

 that has been heard of them. 



Canary (Serinus canarius) 



No serious attempt has ever been made to naturalise this species, 

 but I have heard of several private efforts in this direction. Several 



