ACCLIMATISATION—BIRDS SUITED FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3025, 6 April 1867, Page 5

ACCLIMATISATION— BIRDS SUITED FOR NEW ZEALAND.

To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross. Sib,— As the subject of acclimatisation is receiving much attention at present, I hope I may be allowed to say a few words with reference to it. The wholesale destruction caused by caterpillars and other noxious insects has caused universal alarm throughout this province. Entire fields of grass have been laid waste, and incalculable damage executed among the crops by these rapacious insects. That " it is time for something to be done" to keep down the increasing evil no one can deny. The extensive introduction of insectivorous birds, in my opinion, ought to have been undertaken with spirit years since, prevention being better than cure ; and not have allowed the insect world to gain such ascendancy, bo painfully apparent in the devastation their onward »nd sweeping career has caused to the farmers' crops this year. The pest has become so wide-spread that necessity calls for prompt and decisive measures for its final cure. As birds are the only known panacea, an Acclimatisation Society has been formed under favourable auspices, one of its objects, the principal, being the introduction of members'of the feathered race, to extirpate the caterpillar and rid the country of a desolating enemy. It is, therefore, incumbent on the liberal and enlightened public farmers and country settlers to assist the Society by cooperating in introducing useful birds. Experientia docet. Having devoted considerable time and attention to the rearing of English birds, and studying their habits both in captivity and in the field, I shall endeavour to give a list of those birds more or less adapted to the purpose the Society have in view — the destruction of insects, arachnida, crustacea, mcllusca, and annelid*. I believe, after insect-destroying birds are imported, their utility will be very imperceptible for a few years, not being numerous enough to guard the crops and fields from the despoilment of insects, &c. The most suitable birds to bring out are those devoted entirely to an animal diet. But there are only a few wholly insectivorous, and they belong to the smaller species of birds, as swallows, woodpeckers, and wrynecks. The larger birds are omnivorous, feeding on grain, insects, and mollusca. There are four sub-orders from which useful birds can be advantageously selected, viz., Dentirostres, Fissirostres, Coniroatres, Tenuirostres. Of the Dentirostral sub-order of birds, the first that claims notice is the thrush (Turdus). Birds of the family (Turdidse) are very numerous, being found in every part of the globe. They frequent fields and pastures in search of their food, which consists of berries, fruits, worms, snails, Ac. The song thrush {Turdus musicus) : This muchadmired bird, whose sweet and powerful song is so familiar to every one, is very abundant in England, feeding on insects, caterpillars, worms, berries, soft fruits, slugs, and snails, the latter of which it is exceedingly fond of, breaking the shell against a stone, and greedily devouring its contents « J±e frequently visits the orchard and garden, and assists himself to * few cherries, currants, and other ripe fruits j but his services entitle him to an ample reward. The nest — composed of twigs, dry grass, and moss, lined with rotten wood and cow-dung — is usually built in low bushes, hedges, or ivied walls, not far from the ground. The female lays from four to five light blue eggs, somewhat speckled at the larger end with black. The blackbird (T. merula) is a well-known songster, and familiar to most persons. Its food consists of berries, fruits, insects, caterpillars, worms, and spiders. Like the mavis, he sometimes " plays old gooseberry" in the gardens and orchards. The blackbird's nest is built in the same situation as the thrush's ; and the materials are the same, only the inside is lined with clay. The eggs, four to six in number, are of a bluish green tinge, covered with dusky spots, mostly at the larger end. The merle, unlike the thrush, is not gregarious j it is solitary, restless, and very shy, frequenting secluded spots. The missel thrush (T. viscivorus) : This wild and distrustful bird is she largest of European thrushes. Its principal food comprises berries, its favourite being those of,the misseltoe ; hence its nomenclature. However, it feeds its young on various insects, of which it also partakes. It builds its nest on the stump or fork of old trees ; the materials are.grass, wool, and hair. The female lays four to six flesh-coloured eggs [marked with light and, deepcoloured spots. This bird is not considered destructive to fruit. The ring'ouzel (T. torquatus) is a summer visitant, and found chiefly in the wild and hilly districts of England. It very much resembles the blackbird in its general appearance and habits, only it is somewhat larger. Its breast has a crescent of white, which nearly encircles the neck. It builds its nest of the same material and in the same situation as the merle, and its eggs are similar in colour to the latter bird's. The ouzel's food consists of different berries, insects, &c. „ , . Fieldfare (T. pilaris) : This gregarious bird is migratory ; it builda on exceedingly high trees, and feeds on various kinds of worms, insects, and berries, as hips and haws. The wheatear (Saxicola c&nantbe) : This species of passerine bird frequents newly- ploughed land in search of worms and insects, its staple food. The nest is built under stones, &c, in a rabbit burrow ; and the female lays four or five bluish-green eggs, encompassed with a deeper hue at the larger end. The materials are composed of dry grass and moss, interwoven with wool, and lined with soft G The stonechat (S. imbicola) : This solitary bird frequents heaths and commons, where it subsists on various worms and insects. It places its nest, of dry grass, leaves, moss, and roots, with sof b material inside, at the roots of bushes or underneath stones. Eedstart (Ruticilla phcenicurus) : This beautiful bird is migratory, visiting England in April. It is Viild and distrustful, and builds in lofty forest trees, and other inaccessible places. The redstart feeds on flies, fruits, berries, &c. The nest is generally composed of soft materials, as moss, hair, feathers, and grass. . , , . The nightingale (Philomela luscinia) : The fame of this " tenant of the grove" is as old as poetry itself, and its music is considered the standard of perfection. ' * Lord, what music «hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth V So exclaimed Isaak Walton. It is migratory and of solitary habits. The nest is built in the lower part of a bush or thicket, of dry leaves, grass, and moss, lined with hair and down. The female lays four or five eggs, greenish brown in colour, fcightingaleslive on insects, worms, ants eggs, and various kinds of berries. The willow-wren [(Sylvia trochilus) : This useful insect-destroyer, during the breeding season, feeds its young on small insects and various caterpillars. , Orchards and gardens are its favourite haunts, where it is useful in capturing thos« insects that infest vegetables, fruit,' and raaall buds. Its archshaped nest; composed of dry leaves and moss, lmed with downy feathers, is' mostly built on the ground, on grassy banks. The willow-wren has often two broods' in the season, laying, on each occasion, five or seven white eggs, covered with red spots. -It ia a summer visitor. , ; The golden-crested wren (Regulus cnstatus) j The crested wren is the smallest of the European birds. This delightful little fairy frequents large tree*. Its oblong-shaped nest, having an, entrance on one side, is suspended either from the branches of the oak, fir, pine, or elm. materials of which it is made are moss, grasi, hair, and down; andjifclayo from six to ten white eggs, the size of a small £ea, sprinkled with dull-coloured spots, The regulus lives on

minute insects, which it catches on the wing, or finds in the crevices of trees. Lame, small wormi, and. seeds form part of its diet. The common wren (Troglodytes vulgaris) : This prolific little bird lays from eighteen to twenty eggs, white, with red spots. It is not particular where it builds its pretty oval nest of moss, dead leaves, dry grass, feathers, and other soft materials. This cheerful and sprightly little warbler's food is insects in all stages. Robin (Rubecula familiaris) : This favourite and well-known songster is not gregarious — leading a solitary life. The robin redbreast is a pugnacious bird, and delights in a row. It generally builds in old buildings, under hedges near the ground, and sometimes close to the root of an old tree. The materials composing the nest are moss, grass, dry leaves, and feathers. It lays about five dullish white eggs, covered with red spots. The robin's diet is various insects and berries. Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) : This livelymotioned little passerine bird is easily distinguished from the great length of its tail, which it incessantly jerks up and down. The wagtail is generally Been near ponds in search of worms, flies, and insects ; it often follows the plough to pick up worms, &c. It makes its nest on the ground, of small twigs, dry grass, and moss, lined with hair and feathers. The female lays four or five eggs of a white colour, spotted with brown. # . The most benefisial birds of the sub-order Fissirostres are, swallows and the night-jar. Swallow (Hirundo) :, This well-known group of birds destroy vast quantities of winged insects, which they capture while on the wing— such as Bmall butterflies, moths, gnats, mosquitoes, and other small insects found near stagnant water. This is an invaluable bird, of exclusive insectivorous habits. Swallows are migratory ; they build their nests of mud and other materials, and rear two broods every year. The house-swallow (H. rustica), martin (ET. urbica), and the sand-martin (H. riparia), are common in England during the summer months. The night-jar (Caprimulgus Europseus) : This exceedingly useful bird is a summer visitor, and nocturnal in its habits. It is formed so as to enable it to capture its food while flying, as beetles, moths, gnats, mosquitoes', and other nocturnal insects. When the nightjar flies in pursuit of winged insects, it never closes its capacious mouth, as it is surrounded with a glutinous substance which prevents insects escaping. This is a very desirable bird for acclimatising. . * The first of the Conirostral birds that merits notice is the house-sparrow (Pyrgita domestica), a representative of the finch tribe. It is always seen near the abode of man, even in the midst of populous cities. The sparrow builds in the holes of houses, and walls covered with ivy. Its nest is made of hay, grass, and feathers, and it lays four to six pink-white eggs, with brown spots. There are generally two to three broods a year. The favourite resorts of the sparrow are court-yards, barns,— in fact, all places where grain is scattered. It has been estimated by the celebrated French naturalist, Buffon, that a pair of sparrows destroy weekly, on on average, in feeding their young brood, from three to four thousand caterpillars. The parent bird, | however, feeds greatly on grain, for which reason it is regarded as injurious to the husbandman. If the above calculation can be relied on, what little damage the sparrow may cause in the field is sufficiently repaid by the number of insects it annually destroys. . Hedge-sparrow (Accentor modulans) : This is a useful bird to the farmer, feeding principally on caterpillars, gnats, various insects, worms, &c. This birds frequents gardens and hedges, making its nest of dry grass, moss, hair, and soft down. It lays four blue eggs. Skylark ( Alauda arvensis) : This prolific passerine bird is very .common in England, and widely diffused throughout Europe. The food of the lark i 3 ants' eggs, seeds, worms, and insects. The nest of this " ethereal minstrel, pilgrim of the sky," is found on the ground, composed of grass, &c. The eggs, to the number of four or five, are of a greyish colour, spotted brown. Larks generally breed twice a year. The woodlark (A . arborea) resembles his soaring brother, but is a little smaller. Those unacquainted with the nightingale's notes often confound the two, and frequently mistake the note of the former for that of the latter. This bird perches on trees, and often Bings at night. Its food is grain, insects, and seeds. Its lays four or five dusky-coloured eggs, spotted brown, in a nest formed of dry grass, hair, and feathers, which is generally found in a low bush or under a tuft of grasn. It sometimes rears a couple of broods in the breeding season. ahe chaffinch (Fringilla ccelebs) : This well-known passerine bird subsists chiefly on small seeds, also caterpillars and insects. Its nest is the paragon of perfection, composed of moss, lichen, hair, thistledown, and other downy materials. The eggs are four to five in number, slightly tinged with red, and dotted over with dark spots. The goldfinch (F. carduelis) is often kept in » state of confinement for its song and brilliant plumage. It resorts to gardens, plantations, and shrubberies. Its beautiful nest of moss, grass, and other soft materials, is often built in an apple or pear-tree. The eggs are five in number, white, with purple spots ; and they feed their young on insec's, caterpillars, and seeds. . The starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is very docile in confinement, and easily trained to talk. Its food consists generally of worms, snails, slugs, caterpillars, and grasshoppers ; they also eat various kinds of grain, seede, berries, and fruits. They are gregarious, flying in vast flocks, and may be known by their whirling mode of flight. Starlings build in hollow trees, under the eaves of houses, and in old church towers, and lay three to four blue eggs. The rook (Corvus frugilegus) : Thio bird is not, as is generally supposed, purely an insect-destroyer. It cannot, however, be denied that it consumes large numbers of grubs, worms, caterpillars, and other voracious insects. Rooks are often accused of feeding upon the industry of man. From my own ex- j perience, I can say they greatly over-pay the injury done to the future harvest by demolishing vast quantities of insects. I believe it was during the reign of Henry VIII. that an Act of Parliament was passed for the destruction of rooks and crows, 'so very injurious were they then deemed to the agriculturist. They are gregarious, and very sociable, seeking food and building in flocks. The only birds of the Tenuirostral sub-order deserving of attention are the creepers and hoopoe^ The hoopoe (Opupa epopa) is an uncommon bird, migrating occasionally to the British Islands. Vast numbers of these birds are found in Egypt, on the banks of the Nile, feeding on grubs, worms, and all kinds of insects. . The common creeper (Certhia familiaris), next to the wren, is the least of British birds ; it builds in hollow trees, and four to five eggs are laid, of an ash colour. It feeds upon those insects that infest the bark of trees. The woodpeckers are a group of Zygodactylous birds, to which also the wryneck is nearly allied. The green woodpecker (Picus vividis) : The female forms her nest in the hollow trunk of a decayed tree, and lays four to five eggs of a greenish colour, spotted black. The woodpecker obtains its food principally from decayed trees, by inserting its long tongue and extricating insects. The black woodpecker (P. martius) is the largest of the species known in England. The female lays from two to three white eggs in hollow trees and Btumps. The wryneck (Yunx torquilla) is to be found in all parts of Europe. Tt is migratory, and lives chiefly on insects, which it finds lodged under the bark and in the crevices of trees. You will perceive, sir, that some of the above enumeiated birds are not purely insectivorous, feeding greatly on grain, seeds, &c. However, as they greatly destroy grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, butterflies, cockchafers, slugs, &c, I have named them. Migratory birds must be caught during the early part of the summer, when most of them are numerous in England. Any amount of birds can be obtained in London, from the different bird-fanciers, at a very moderate price— from 2d. to 6d. each. Those parties thinking of bringing put birds would do well to go to Mr. Davy, bird-fancier, of Camden Town, London, who generally keeps a large " stock and assortment" of all species of birds, arid thoroughly understands their management, and could give much practical and valuable information as to the beat mode of feeding birds of a delicate taste during » jwa voyage. I would advise no person to attempt "the charge of birds unless he is ' thoroughly com, petent and prepared to devote to them unremitting attention, as they require to be regularly fe^wd kept scrupulously clean:^. Only thoße like, myßelf, who have reired nestlings ano" kept birds m f cages, -know what assiduous c»re is required to .preserve them in a perfect state of health. „ I dare say r many, of your readers will- be interested to know that the French acchm'atisation ■ societies * are .greeting, to^.ftttention to artificial birds' nests. Number* are made in Switzerland under the direction of the societies formed there for the* protection of insectivorous birds. These neits are placed in- those situations peculiar to each species, and found, to answer admirably, as birds take to them easily. One gardener placed- artificial nests in different parts of Ms orchard, and they are inhabited by Jrirdj,