A REFORMED COLONIST 355 



the case of the sheep-killing Kea in New Zealand, 

 and of many fruit-eating birds in Australia, well 

 demonstrates, can do a bit in the way of change 

 of habits and pestiferousness itself, and I have yet 

 to discover the species of bird which is known to 

 have been exterminated by the introduction of an 

 avian alien. Even the Sparrow, which is certainly 

 the worst character on whom we have endeavoured 

 to confer the citizenship of the world, has a good 

 word said for him by some New Zealand naturalists, 

 and is doing something to reinstate his character in 

 America by a vigorous war on that most serious 

 pest, the alfalfa weevil. 



Where native birds are scarce, or where man 

 makes the land uninhabitable for many of them by 

 cutting down the ancient forest, as he generally 

 has to do, new birds must be introduced if birds 

 are as useful as they are supposed to be, and so the 

 Starling and House-Mynah will have to be distributed 

 over the world, as they have been in Australasia, un- 

 less ornithologists find out some way of preserving 

 native species in new countries. Fortunately, there 

 is no sentiment against the introduction of game- 

 birds and wildfowl, and the sporting interest is 

 always powerful for the establishment of preserves 

 for them ; and as the conditions of such preserves 

 the provision of plenty of cover, food-supplies, and 

 ready access to water are just those which are 

 favourable to bird-life in general, the sportsman is 

 in the long run the best friend of the birds. He 

 may, and does, favour the particular species in 



