PASSERIFORMES 



159 



* Indian Minah or Myna; House Myna {Acridotheres tristis) 



This species appears to have been introduced in the first instance 

 in all centres by private individuals, and by a few of the societies in 

 the early seventies. One of the most remarkable things about them 

 is their increase after their first introduction, and then their subsequent 

 diminution, and — winsome districts— their ultimate disappearance. The 

 latter appears to have been due, either directly or indirectly, to the 

 starlings, the increase of the latter coinciding with the decrease of the 

 farmer. 



In 1870 Mr F. Banks introduced 18 of these birds, which he 

 termed Indian Minaul birds, from Melbourne, where they had been 

 acclimatised for some time, and presented them to the Canterbury 

 Society. Writing in 1890, Captain F. W. Hutton said: "A few 

 used to be about Christchurch, but they have disappeared before the 

 starlings." Mr Stead, writing in 1916, says: "In the early nineties 

 there were a few minahs nesting in some houses on the North Belt 

 (Christchurch), but there are now none left, and there have not been 

 any for fifteen years at least." 



Some were imported into Dunedin in the early seventies by Mr 

 Thomas Brown. They used to build in the First Church Steeple and 

 on one or two houses in the neighbourhood, but they had all died 

 out or were driven away before (1890). 



Mr F. G. Gibbs of Nelson says (July, 1916): 



Minahs were imported in the seventies. I remember that they were 

 very plentiful in the streets when I arrived in 1877, but a few years later 



fruit in one. This result, however, does not by any means indicate clearly the 

 destructive tendencies in the direction of vegetable food, as the accessibility of 

 such food must be considered at the time the bird was shot. Unquestionably 

 starlings feed greatly on cultivated fruits and on cultivated grains during the season 

 when these are available." "As regards the insect food of these seventy-three birds, 

 we found that locusts or grasshoppers were present in five, wireworms in two, 

 cutworms in thirty-four, flies in four, psyllids in one, and scale (?) in one. The 

 cutworms were found in most of the starlings obtained in the Wagga district, these 

 having been shot while this pest was present." " Flies were found in four. These 

 could not be identified as blow-flies. It is, however, likely, though not proved as 

 yet, that the starling does destroy a few of these insects. As indicated by the list 

 of insect foods, the starling can unquestionably play a useful purpose in the direction 

 of destroying insect pests. 



Summed up, it may be stated that the starling does marked harm to fruit 

 gardens and that it does some harm to crops, but that it does some good in destroy- 

 ing certain insect pests, such as cutworms, when these are present in abundance and 

 perhaps other food is scarce. The starling has spread very extensively over Australia, 

 and it is a prolific breeder. Moreover, it interferes with the breeding-places of 

 many of our useful insectivorous birds. It is also so wily and so hard to approach 

 that it will never be possible to eliminate it from Australia, or even to diminish 

 materially its numbers, whatever human means are adopted to attempt this. Its 

 virtues are unquestionably less than its defects, and no encouragement whatever 

 should be given to its appearance in any part of the country. On the other hand, 

 any discouragement offered is likely to have little effect." 



