206 BIRD HAUNTS AND NATURE MEMORIES 



remnant of the Spitzbergen eiders may be saved when 

 there are so few that it no longer pays to exploit them, 

 but, unfortunately, even this has not saved every perse- 

 cuted species. 



One of the worst destructive features is the intentional 

 introduction of animals to a land to which they are alien. 

 This is usually due to sentiment, but often to a desire, 

 apparently harmless, of improving the fauna by the 

 addition of attractive animals. The result of this well- 

 meaning but mistaken policy is never satisfactory, at any 

 rate for many, very many years. There is no middle 

 course. The introduced creature either finds life so hard 

 in the new land, and enemies so numerous that it dies out 

 at once, or it finds conditions so favourable and natural 

 checks so few that it increases rapidly and some less fitted 

 native succumbs to give it room. Many efforts have been 

 made to improve and increase the variety of our game 

 stock, but whereas the Barbary partridge, the willow 

 grouse, the colin, bob-white, button quail, and even 

 tinamou have been tried and failed, the red-legged part- 

 ridge has established itself, and the various pheasants 

 have settled down. Amongst mammals the reindeer, 

 wapiti, and beaver rank amongst the failures, the rabbit 

 is perhaps the best instance of a successful colonist; so 

 far has it established itself that we now count it as native, 

 and realise that it has reached that stage when an arti- 

 ficial natural balance with other forms is stable. But 

 can we not guess that awful dislocation of the balance 

 amongst native forms occurred before the rabbit found 

 its level; how many creatures whose absence we mourn 

 may have owed their decline to competition with the 

 rabbit ? What it can do when placed in an alien land 

 we know, for is not Australia still faced with the problem ? 

 And have not other efforts to check it by introducing 

 its foes stoat, weasel, dog, cat, and fox all had bad 



