ii6 
The Mo)itKs Ariivah. 
decrease. He can offer no explaiialion of this position. — From 
the Auckland Herald. 
A correspondent who writes from Helensville, Auckland, 
regretting the destruction of native birds, says that the first great 
enemy they had to face was the Norway rat. New Zealand birds, 
he believes, had no inherited instincts to teach them how to pro- 
tect them.selves against those greedy invaders, and they fell easy 
victims. In recent years stoats and weasels have carried on the 
work. He states, in tones of regret, that the Kingfisher, the 
Fantail, the " Morepork " Owl, the Cuckoos, and the Hawks 
are the only native birds left near his place. Amongst intro- 
duced birds, Pheasants have also decreased in a remarkable 
manner. Thirty 3'ears ago, he could get five or six brace in one 
day, but he can only get very few now, and he does not believe 
that there are a dozen on his farm. Kingfishers and Shining 
Cuckoos visit his garden in the summer, and do useful work 
fossicking for insects amongst the vegetables, and Fantails still 
find plenty of occupation among the moths and flies. — From the 
Auckland Herald. 
I recently noted at Jvlr. I,uer's several specimens of the Greater and 
I.esser Rock Sparrow (Pelionia de?itata), abont half a dozen of the former 
and a dozen of the latter. A few of the latter species turn up every year 
among tlie so-called " Senegal birds " but I have never seen so many 
together before. They come from Abyssinia and Northern Afiica generally 
and, despite their English and classical names, are not generally found 011 
rocky ground, as Haagner points out. An interesting point in connection 
with this species is whether it is really distinct from P. albigularis, which 
has a white throat, P. dentala having a yellow spot in centre of throat. 
Dr. Butler considers they are distinct species because he bad an adult female 
of each form which did not change colour during the whole time he had 
them. On the other hand Captain Shelley regards the former as the 
immature form of P. dentala. Undoubtedly some of the white-throated 
brown-beaded individnals acquire yellow tin oats and grey heads when adult 
for our member. Dr. Hopkiiison has seen them do so in his own aviary (see 
Vol. VIII., p. 42). Personally I think it possible that the two types are 
variant forms of the same species for several reasons, which would occupy 
too much space if enumerated here. The two types pair and have the same 
