APPENDIX. 183 



IMPORTED SONGSTERS. Contin. 



forty pairs of goldfinches, forty pairs of chaffinches, thirty-five 

 pairs of linnets, forty pairs of ziskins (green finches), twenty 

 pairs of cross-beaks, one pair of real nightingales (the rest had 

 died on the way), and several pairs of red-breasted English 

 robins, the European wren species, forest finches, yellow-ham- 

 mers, green finches. 



" When these birds arrived here, each species was put into a 

 large wooden cage six feet high, six feet long, and four feet deep, 

 with wire-net front, with plenty of water and their favorite food, 

 thus giving them a good opportunity to rest and exercise their 

 wings before they were turned loose. All these birds, with 

 their cages, were placed on exhibition for four days to the pub- 

 lic. Thousands of people went to see them, and the society 

 realized about five hundred dollars by this show, which went 

 toward paying for the expense of bringing them here. At 

 the close of the exhibition the birds were turned loose under 

 direction of Frank Dekum, president of the society, in the 

 suburbs of Portland and in other counties here. 



"The larks were let loose outside of the city near clover 

 meadows. 



" The birds have done well ever since they were let loose ; 

 we watched them all through the summer of 1889. Some 

 nested in Portland and some in the suburbs, while others went 

 far off into the State. 



" We have had very flattering reports of these birds from all 

 parts of the State. 



" The birds left here in the fall of 1889 and returned in the 

 spring of 1890, except the black thrush and the skylark ; they 

 did not migrate. 



" The society has received reports from numerous places in 

 this vicinity which show that the birds brought here and turned 

 loose a year ago last spring, have prospered, and that the scheme 

 has been a grand success. 



