In the attempt to check the rabbit 

 pest in New Zealand, recourse has been 

 had to the importation of natural ene- 

 mies, such as ferrets, stoats, and wea- 

 sels. In the Wairarapa district some 

 600 ferrets, 300 stoats and weasels, and 

 300 cats had been turned out previous 

 to 1887. Between January, 1887, and 

 June, 1888, contracts were made by the 

 government for nearly 22,000 ferrets, 

 and several thousand had previously 

 been liberated on crown and private 

 lands. Large numbers of stoats and 

 weasels have also been liberated during 

 the last fifteen years. 

 This host of predatory animals speed- 



ily brought about a decrease in the 

 number of rabbits, but their work was 

 not confined to rabbits, and soon game 

 birds and other species were found to 

 be diminishing. The stoat and the wea- 

 sel are much more bloodthirsty than 

 the ferret, and the widespread destruc- 

 tion is attributed to them rather than 

 to the latter animal. Now that some 

 of the native birds are threatened with 

 extermination, it has been suggested 

 to set aside an island along the New 

 Zealand coast, where the more inter- 

 esting indigenous species can be kept 

 safe from their enemies and saved from 

 complete extinction. 



BIRDS AND THE WEATHER. 



BIRDS are dependent on the ele- 

 ments as well as is man, and in 

 the want of materials and the 

 requirements in nest-building 

 the birds are comparable to the lords 

 of creation. 



It is not a rare thing for a pair of 

 robins to be badly handicapped in 

 nesting-time by a lack of rain, for in 

 May, and even in the showery month 

 of April, there is occasionally a dry 

 run of weather lasting for more than a 

 week. 



I have seen a pair of robins start a 

 nest, and the dry weather would come 

 on and stop operations, and the dis- 

 consolate pair would wait for the rain 

 so that they could make mortar for 

 their nest. Robins must have mud to 

 use in the construction of their little 

 home, and all the dry materials will 

 avail them nothing unless there is a 

 good stock of mortar on hand to 

 cement the grass, rags, and other mate- 

 rials together. 



On one occasion we supplied a pair 

 of redbreasts with plenty of mortar 

 by letting the hydrant run on the 

 ground. The delighted robins imme- 

 diately accepted the situation and 

 gathered materials for the partially 

 finished home, which was quickly com- 

 pleted and the four beautiful eggs de- 



posited. We broke the law by letting 

 the water run, but then we can excuse 

 ourselves in behalf of the faithful 

 birds by saying that " necessity knows 

 no law." 



The eave-swallows also require mor- 

 tar for the construction of their nests, 

 and they select quarters not very far 

 removed from lakes, ponds, or streams. 

 There is a neighborhood where the 

 swallows used to build in great num- 

 bers, and the barns were well patron- 

 ized by these little insect-feeders, rows 

 of the gourd-shaped nests being seen 

 beneath the eaves. 



At last the pond in the section was 

 drained, and all the swallows deserted 

 that neighborhood. There are very 

 few birds which are not more or less 

 affected by civilization, and a study of 

 this subject is most interesting. 



Years ago the chimney swifts were 

 in the habit of building their stick 

 nests in the hollows of big trees, and 

 even at the present day we may find 

 nests in these old-time situations. As 

 time passed the swifts found that the 

 chimneys of men's houses offered 

 better situations for nests, and so the 

 reasoning birds adopted our city and 

 village chimneys to the abandonment 

 of the primitive habit of nesting in 

 hollow trees. — Humane Alliance. 



