Correspondence. Notes, etc. 49


Sir, — I have just received my copy of the Avicultural Magazine for

September and have read with horror, not to say disgust, the suggestion to

turn out a number of Australian Crested or Bronze -wing Pigeons in

Regent's Park. Are we dissatisfied with our own avifauna that we should try

and establish birds beautiful and harmless enough perhaps in their own

country, but which when once started in England might and probably

would completely drive out many interesting species of birds ?


I have been to most civilised and uncivilised countries in the world

and have seen many " introduced " species of birds, that is to say birds

introduced into continents and islands outside of their range, and I have

never yet come across a single instance where this has not done harm to the

original avifauna, and I defy anyone to prove otherwise. Once let a foreign

species of bird or mammal become established, and then, either good-bye to

some interesting original species or, if this does not happen, the "introduced"

species multiplies accordingly and quickly becomes a curse. I need here

only mention a few instances. Mynahs introduced into Fiji, the Sandwich

Islands, and Tahiti are fast outnumbering and destroying many of the

smaller peculiar passerine birds of those islands. Sparrows in Australia

need no comment from me here. The Mongoose in the West Indies is

quickly becoming, or rather has become, an absolute menace to the resident

fauna. The American Opossum [Didelphis marsupialis), perhaps a harm-

less mammal in its own country, has now, owing to its being introduced into

the West India Islands, completely exterminated the Capped Petrel yCEstrelata

Jiesitata) in the two Islands Guadeloupe and Dominica, when and where it

is known to have bred. There is no need to further enlarge upon the

" introduction " follies, and if we in England, one of the few countries in

the world whose avifauna has been kept comparatively pure, and which is

probably one of the most interesting in the world, if we, I say, will not take

warning by the follies of our Colonies, may we, or at least those who intend

to perpetuate this new folly, live to repent it.

Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. Michael J. Nicom,.


[We regret that we cannot agree with Mr. Nicoll. We are very fully

aware of the amount of harm that has been done by ill-considered

acclimatization, and the instances quoted in the above letter were all

ill-considered. In almost ever}' instance prolific species from cool climates

have been introduced into countries where the temperature is warm enough

to admit of a perpetual breeding season. The introduced species moreover

have been more powerful than the native species with the result that the

latter have been overpowered. Had the introducers of the Sparrow,

Rabbit, or Mongoose, or any of those species mentioned by Mr. Nicoll,

stopped for one moment to consider what would be the result of their

experiment the}' could not have failed to see its folly.


With the experiment we propose to try we maintain that no~TTarm

could possibly result. We are introducing species from a warm climate



