148 BIRDS 



The cause of failure was never understood by the Society, but 

 Mr A. Binnie, who was Mr Bills' assistant at the time, assures me that 

 all the birds which were imported were cocks — which is a possible 

 explanation, seeing that Mr Bills brought them out to sell. In 1879 

 the Otago Society received two (out of ten shipped from London) 

 and in 1900, one (out of eight shipped); these were liberated on 

 Otago Peninsula, but were not seen again. 



In explanation of the failure of these birds to establish themselves, 

 I am more inclined to favour the idea that birds of migratory races 

 were brought out, for bird-catchers frequently make their best catches 

 of birds which are gathering preparatory to starting on their journeys. 



Nightingale (Daulias lusdnia) 



An attempt was made by the Otago Society in 1871 to introduce 

 these birds, and a number of them were shipped from London, but 

 they all died when a few days out. 



The Auckland Society had exactly the same experience in 1875, 

 none of those shipped surviving the passage. 



The Canterbury Society repeated the experiment in 1879, when 

 one was landed in Christchurch, and died soon after. 



The nightingale is purely a migratory species in Britain, and any 

 attempt to naturalise them in New Zealand was foredoomed to fail. 



* Hedge-Sparrow {Accentor modularis) 



In Dr Arthur Thomson's Story of New Zealand published in 

 London in 1859, it is stated that "Mr Brodie, the settler who intro- 

 duced pheasants, sent out, in 1859, 300 sparrows, for the purpose 

 of keeping the caterpillars in check." I cannot verify the statement; 

 Mr Brodie lived at Mongonui, and there have never been hedge- 

 sparrows in North Auckland. 



The Auckland Society introduced one in 1867, two in 1868, seven 

 in 1872, 19 (out of 80 shipped) in 1874, and 18 in 1875. The nests 

 were first observed in 1873, ^^'^ ^^^ ^^^^ soon established itself. 



The Otago Society liberated 18 in 1868, and 80 in 187 1. 



The Canterbury Society liberated nine in 1868, and 41 in 1871. 

 Mr Drummond says (1907): 



It was Captain Stevens who brought the first hedge-sparrow to the 

 colony, and it is claimed to the Southern Hemisphere. It came in the 

 ' Matoaka' together with the first house-sparrows. It was the only survivor 

 of a consignment. For a long time it was an object of interest in the 

 Society's grounds in Christchurch, many people journeying to the gardens 

 to see the stranger. 



