NATURAL 
MEDDLING WITH NATURE. 
An important zoological paper by Dr. 
T. S. Palmer, Assistant Chief of the Bio- 
logical Survey, has recently been published 
in the Yearbook of the Department of 
Agriculture. Its title is “The Danger of 
Introducing Noxious Animals and Birds’’; 
and it is indeed high time this subject 
should be brought prominently into notice. 
The world has had enough of fool experi- 
ments in the introduction and coloniza- 
tion of various species of birds and mam- 
mals, designed for the accomplishment of 
specific purposes. 
Aside from rats, mice and cats, which are 
to be considered apart, it appears that 
nearly all efforts that have been made to 
introduce foreign species for the accom- 
plishment of specific purposes have re- 
sulted disastrously. The common rabbit 
o: Europe promptly became in Australia 
an uncommon calamity. The mongoose 
of India soon became in Jamaica a pest 
far more serious and destructive than the 
rats they were intended to destroy. The 
ferrets, stoats and weasels, introduced in 
New Zealand to destroy the rabbits, are 
rapidly exterminating the game birds. as 
well as other species. The English spar- 
row we have with us always, and at pres- 
ent he is practically without a defender. 
The starling, which was planted in New 
York City about 1877, and has actually be- 
come established, promises to be a worse 
infliction than the English sparrow. In 
Australia and New Zealand, where it was 
introduced for the destruction of insects, 
it promptly adopted a fruit diet to such an 
extent that it has become a great pest. 
The government of Western Australia, 
after due deliberation, has declared the 
starling a destructive bird, and absolutely 
prohibited its importation into that proy- 
ince. Because of its depredations on 
fruits generally, and wheat, it has also been 
condemned in Tasmania; and measures for 
its extermination in South Australia are 
under consideration. 
The ferret introduced into this country 
_has become as dangerous a weapon in the 
hands of the game hog as dynamite is in 
the hands of the train-wrecker. 
Beyond all question, it is without the 
rights. of either a private individual, or 
any society or corporation, to introduce 
in this country and set free without let or 
hindrance any species of wild bird, mam- 
mal, insect or reptile. The world has haa 
sufficient warnings on this subject and any 
individual or acclimatization society which 
proposes to assume the responsibility for 
202 
HISTORY. 
the introduction of a wild species of any 
kind to this country should be laid under 
proper restrictions. Twelve years ago Dr. 
C. Hart Merriam urged the necessity of 
restricting the importation of exotic spe- 
cies, and recommended that all such ex- 
periments should be conducted by or un- 
der the control of the department of ag- 
griculture. The wisdom of this recom- 
mendation is beyond all doubt. At pres- 
ent the absence of regulations permit any 
crank to introduce into this country any 
zoological nuisance which he takes a 
notion to import and set free. Even now, 
we are informed, starlings are being im- 
ported and bred in Pittsburg and -Alle- 
gheny, with which to stock the parks of 
those cities; and in this connection, one of 
Dr. Palmer’s conclusions is pertinent: 
“The gradual increase of the starling, 
and the efforts to introduce the kohlmeise, 
require prompt measures to prevent spc- 
cies of such doubtful value from gaining a 
foothold in this country. The acquisition 
of new territory has also brought us face 
to face with new problems. Not only 
should the mongoose be prevented from 
reaching the United States from Hawaii 
and Porto Rico, but the native fauna of 
these islands should be preserved, and all 
our island possessions protected from ill- 
advised acclimatization, which has caused 
so much loss in Australia and New Zea- 
land.” 
There is no occasion whatever for the 
introduction to this country of the Euro- 
pean starling. Our own birds are amply 
sufficient for the destruction of insects, and 
for woodland melody, if protected from the 
guns of miscreants. If the Acclimatization 
Society of Cincinnati, whjch during the 
years 1872-73 and 74 expended $9,000 in 
the importation of 4,000 European birds, 
had expended that sum in the protection 
of American birds, the good accomplished 
would have entitled the organization to 
the gratitude of American people gen- 
erally. W 2 SE 

BIRD PROTECTION. 
A paper read before the Detroit section 
of the Agassiz Society. 
For the purposes of the present dis- 
cussion birds may be divided into 2 
classes: 
First: Game _ birds. 
Second: Birds that are not considered 
game. By game birds I mean edible birds, 
the pursuit and taking of which affords 
sport for the gunner. There are several 
species of birds, however, that are edible 

