The Zoologist — September, 1874. 4137 



finding gutters or water-spouts choked up by their warm but un- 

 tidy nests : the blue gum tree {Eucalyplus) affords plenty of shelter, 

 and is found to be a favourite nesting-place. The "pink-pink" of 

 the spruce chaffinch is now constantly heard about our gardens ; to 

 these also does the hedgesparrovv flit, to hide away her blue-green 

 eggs. How many pleasant memories of home are recalled by the 

 cawing of rooks — the old familiar sounds that woke into drowsy 

 fife the vicarage elms and the long avenue that led to the squire's 

 haU! 



In Otago, where the introduction of small birds has been managed 

 with much forethought and care, acclimatisation has been very 

 successful: in all probability the southern portion of the Middle 

 Island will rival the northern part of New Zealand in the number 

 of its game birds. 



It may be readily seen how our bird system is affected by im- 

 portations, but we have no clue to the extent of the changes which 

 the next ^ew years may present. The various species which have 

 been mentioned may be now fairly considered as established, and 

 although the list might have been swelled with the names of many 

 other birds which are supposed to be thriving because they have 

 been turned out or have escaped, we cannot speak of them with 

 such certainty. This country offers such a field* for the work of 

 acclimatisation that it has ever appeared to us a subject for regret 

 that efforts of this character are not undertaken on some general 

 plan for the whole country; we might then perhaps have some 

 guarantee that the species imported are worth turning out, and that 

 when set at large their liberation would be effected in places likely^ 

 to secure them plenty of food and shelter. If freshly -landed birds, 

 with their wing-feathers cut, weak from a lengthened voyage, be 

 turned out in such miserable plight in the precincts of a town, it 

 requires no conjuror to foretell the result. These birds would have 

 but a sorry chance of living, and cats would fare daintily; yet this 

 has been done in the name of acclimatisation. 



Every rural settler must have observed that our native Anatida3 

 form an important group in the fauna, a fact sufficiently suggestive 

 of the wisdom of adding more birds of the duck tribe. Where 

 Nature tells us we must succeed, should we be neglectful or 

 indifferent? Nor should it be forgotten that some of the native 

 species are nearly related to birds of the highest culinary excel- 

 lence. From our intercourse with Australia, America and Europe, 



