ENGLISH NIGHTINGALE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1930, Page 16

ENGLISH NIGHTINGALE

ACCLIMATISATION IN DOMINION. AN ILL-ADVISED EFFORT. “No, and I hope it never will,” was the emphatic reply of Mr. Edgar E. Stead, when asked if he thought it possible the nightingale would make its home in the Auckland district. A couple of Christmasses ago a pair of these birds were released near St. Heliers, and last spring a resident of Mount Eden said he heard a nightingale’s song effort. “To introduce the nightingale,” said Mr. Steed, “however well meaning, is one of the silliest things ever done in the way of acclimatisation in this country. Why? Well, because the one benefit that could accrue from the presence of the bird is its song, and that is most certainly inferior to the song of some of our own New Zealand birds, the tui and Makomako, or bell bird. It lias always been a moot point in England whether The nightingale or song thrush is the better singer, and anyone who knows the tui and bell bird, and also ths song thrush will know perfectly well that as far as music is concerned the thrush simple cannot compare with our two birds. “The nightingale is a bird that is never exceedingly common, therefore all the good it could do by eating grubs or insects would be of small account. Moreover, with the nightingale you might easily introduce some bird disease that might entirely wipe out one or more of our native species. “There have been enough mistakes made in acclimatisation matters in New Zealand without adding the nightingale to the number,” Mr. Stead continued. “Yes, I am hopeful that, this experiment has been a failure, and)!. 1 sincerely trust ’it will never bp repeated/'; ■