61 
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE INTRODUC- 
TION OF BIRDS INTO THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
At a meeting of the Board of Agriculture and Forestry, 
held on November 21, the matter of the introduction of useful 
birds into Hawaii was brought up, and after a lengthy dis- 
cussion the Board appointed Mr. E. M. Ehrhorn, Superin- 
tendent of Entomology, a committee to investigate and in- 
quire into the possibilities of bird introduction. At last meet- 
ing Mr. Ehrhorn submitted the following report from Prof. 
H. W. Henshaw, who is too well known here to need an in- 
troduction and who now is the Chief of the Division of the 
Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wash- 
ington, D. C. : 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Bureau of Biological Survey. 
Washington, D. C, Dec. 5, 1910. 
Mr. Edward M. Ehrhorn, Superintendent of Entomology, Board 
of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, Honolulu, 
Hawaii. 
Dear Sir : — Your letter of November 22 requesting informa- 
tion as to the desirability of importing foreign birds into the Ha- 
waiian Islands for the purpose of destroying noxious insects is 
received. In reply I have to state that the habits and standing 
of a bird in its native home never afford absolutely safe criteria 
from which to judge what it may do in a foreign country where 
its habits may change considerably ; hence, the importation of 
any species must always be regarded as an experiment to be 
carefully watched till the bird has become well established in its 
new home and its habits there thoroughly known. 
It may be set down as an axiom that the introduction of birds, 
in large part seed and fruit eaters, into any agricultural coun- 
try, is to be avoided, since both birds are almost sure to prove 
a nuisance by attacking fruit and grain crops. The English 
sparrow is a well known instance of the harm that may come 
from the introduction of a natural seed eater, only to a com- 
paratively small extent insectivorous, into the United States. 
Although introduced also into the Islands, this bird has appar- 
ently not thriven and increased there as it does in a colder 
climate, and hence so far has done comparatively little harm. 
Much the same statement applies to the California house finch 
now domiciled in several of the Islands. It is a serious nuis- 
