90 Captain R. jMciucrtzliagcii on 



Cape Canary, 



Imported from Cape Colouy by the Freucli in tlie 18tli 

 century. 



A French writer (Le Gentil), Avriting in 1780, says : — " It 

 was imported from the Cape of Good Hope during the 

 last war, partly as an experiment and partly as a present to 

 the ladies. It is one of the most pernicious presents ever 

 made to the island, as it eats all the crops and increases 

 without effort." 



Another writer (Sonnerat) says that niggers had to be kept 

 in the fields to frighten the flocks of these birds away, and that 

 every inhabitant had to kill a certain quantity of them in 

 j)roportion to the number of slaves he had, and take their 

 heads to the local police station. 



The species is now plentiful in the low-lying coast lands, 

 but cannot maintain a footing up country, as there is very 

 little food for it there. 



It is a common cage-bird in the island. 



16. * Pastor roseus. 



Pastor roseus Sharpe, Cat. Birds, xii. p. 63. 

 Rose-coloured Pastor. 



This bird was introduced into the island from India in 

 1892 by Gabriel Regnard, but died out almost at once. 



17. * ACRIDOTHERES TRISTIS. 



Acridutheres tristis Sharpe, Cat. Birds, xiii. p. 80. 



Le ]\Iartin. 



My nab. 



The ^lynah was introduced from India aljout the middle 

 of the 18th century by La Bourdonuais. It was specially 

 selected to kill oft' the locusts that did so much harm to the 

 crops. 



Grant, in his ' History of Mauritius,' says in 1801 : — " Tlie 

 Isle of France wus formerly exposed to the ravages of 

 locusts. None of these noxious insects, however, have been 

 seen here since the year 1770. It is pretended that the 



