10 
morning’s walk. Other friends of acclimatisation also se¬ 
lected or purchased blocks of land in the district, which were 
cleared and brought under cultivation, and afforded the 
birds ample space for expansion, but alas! in a few years 
that dreadful little rodent, the rabbit, made its appearance, 
and quickly took possession of the country, and compelled 
the land-owners to take steps for its extermination. Some 
obtained large numbers of domestic cats, which were let 
loose to kill and eat the rabbits, and others laid poisoned 
grain or oatmeal for their destruction, with the result that 
the pheasants and quail, which were reared at great expense 
and trouble, soon disappeared, having been eaten by the 
cats or poisoned by the grain intended for the rodents, and 
I now could not find a single pheasant in the whole district 
where once they were so numerous. Partridges (both Eng¬ 
lish and French) were also imported by the Society, and 
released in suitable localities, but these also disappeared, 
probably being destroyed by bush fires or else from the 
brackish nature of the water in some of our watercourses. 
The above failures show the disappointments which beset the 
acclimatiser of game birds in Victoria. The English 
thrush and blackbird, as well as linnets, greenfinches, and 
goldfinches, were also imported, and are now plentiful in 
all the gardens in the suburbs of the city. The thrush and 
the blackbird have delighted us with their beautiful song, 
and have also done immense benefit to the gardeners by 
destroying another imported pest (brought out. no doubt, in 
Wardian cases of plants), viz., the garden snail, which had, 
like other useless pests, increased so alarmingly that a few 
years ago it was almost impossible to grow certain flowers 
of which they are fond, but now, thanks to the indefatigable 
labours of the active thrush and blackbird, they are kept in 
check. The starling has also been successfully introduced 
by the Society, and from a few pairs liberated some 20 years 
ago, have increased and spread over a large area of the 
country. In England this bird is looked upon as being 
strictly insectivorous, its food consisting principally of wire 
worms and the larva of insects, but I am sorry to hear that 
both here and in Tasmania they are accused of having be¬ 
come stealers and eaters of fruit. The common Indian 
minah, which is a congener of the English starling, has 
also become very numerous around Melbourne, and though 
generally living on insects, grubs, &c., it has acquired 
bad habits, and indulges at times in fruit and grain and has 
consequently become unnopular. Another beautiful song¬ 
bird and harmless addition to the bird life of the colony 
engaged the attention of the Society about 20 years ago, 
when a considerable sum of money was devoted to the intro- 
