The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-08
YOUNG OF ANTS ARE EASILY
PROCURABLE FOOD.
r. c. l.. Perkins Says the Question is
Not How to Get Them Here Alive But
Whether at All.

/ be "A sort of answer to my own article
| in the same paper on the End, the public
! Is now told that the whole affair is in a
| very embryonic stage! If this be the
case one Is unable to see the wisdom of
calling public attention to the matter
| in newspapers on various occasions as
though there was at least a consider
able probability of the importation be-
coming an accomplished fact. When 1t
| is stated that the matter has gone so
far that many offers" to supply wood
pechers have been received, one is
justified in supposing that there is at
least every probability of the introduce
tion being made.
In my article 1 have already expressly
stated that, if the government entomo-
logist is in favor of the Importation it
should certainly be effected, since his
opinion would naturally and very pro-
perly be accepted before that of an out
slider but the latter when a matter Is
publicly aired in the papers, has GER
tainly right to express his opinion on
the subject.
As to the application to the we'll
known Washington ornithologist there
is no need for the writer to change the
opinion already expressed, for as stated
in his former article the question is
primarily for the entomologist to de-
eide provided at least that he has a
competent knowledge of birds and their
| habits. Now if we examine recent
! statements of two leading specialists on
| entomology at Washington, we see on
! their own evidence how small is their
| knowledge of the conditions of the
| fauna here. How much less then must
! be the knowledge of a specialist in an
other branch of science. Thus one OF
| these chronological specialists referring
to collections of the Hawaiian land
| fauna remarks our own government
and the authorities of the United States
National Museum have been singularly
remiss in their duties in this respect
and have left the exploration of these
islands, now body polite of the United
| States, to Others" The other comment
! ing on a publication based on a collec-
! tiOn formed by the writer of this article
states that this work lis a revelation of
our ignorance of the Hawaiian fauna. -
In fact the question is not one for the
| head of a Department whether at
| Washington, London or elsewhere, how
ever learned he may be, but primarily
! for the entomologist, who has worked
! in the forests of these islands, and is
| conversant with the different branches
| of this fauna and their dependence on
one another
In another paragraph of the interview
of Nov. 6, remarkably (to put it mildly
|
| ticle (for no one else has objected to the
introduction of woodpeckers) is set
forth as denuding the Hawaiian forests
of its feathered creatures under cover
of scientific research" AS such a state
! ment might impose on the ignorant or
ultra ender-hearted it is only neces-
sary to say that of the birds obtained
by me the local museum here received
a number practically Identical with that
/ tn mi oh
recently the local collection here was
examined by me and through the cour-
tesy of the officials l was allowed to
inspect the unmOunted speciments, l
found that the series of certain species
already collected by me, had been (and
very property increased, as being in
sufficient A well-known collector from
Washington considered that my whole
series of some species even before the
collection was divided was much too
small for adequate study and as COM
pared with the numbers of many spe-
cies in the Department at Washington
it could certainly have appeard so.
Such differences are merely a matter
of opinion on the part of the individual
collector. Last of all should an Agri-
cultural Department cast a slur on
scientific work undertaken at great ex-
pense of money, time, and labor and
which has cost themselves nothing, al
though absolutely necessary for the
proper carrying on of that department
1t Is not necessary to allude to the va
rious causes which have led to the de-
cadence of the true native fauna, whe-
ther man, bird, shell or insect be under
discussion. There is no doubt that the
natiye insects have suffered most of all
and few sane people will attribute this
to the rapacity and number of colec-
| tOrS AS nearly as 1925 the extreme
scarcity of several kinds of forest birds
. was fully noticed, especially on oahu
Such questions have been already dis
cussed in many publications and are
familiar to every student of the zoology
of these islands. Those who are ignor.
ant can learn from any English country
school-boy how to catch woOdpeckers
and some and probably most species
can be kept alive on the young of ants
as food easily procured
Since the above was written there has
been published a letter from T. s. Pal
mer, Assistant Chief Of the Biological
| Survey. Herein it is definitely stated
that it is impossible to foretell with
certainty what will be the result of in
PRODUCING a bird amid such peculiar
conditions as exist i'm Hawaii" an OPT
nion with which all would agree. 1t
may also be added that ii Is easy to
see what the probable results will be
that is to say entirely disastrous for
the reasons already fully explained in
my original article. Had the writer oi
the letter been made acquainted fully
with the facts of the case, and likewis,
informed that any bird once turned ou
. i'm the forests Of these islands could, /
1t thrives hardly possibly be exter,
minated, it is wildly improbable that h,
would ever have suggested that an ex
2 pertinent be made even with a few
pairs of these birds Should the intro
ductOn take place after all, it is /,
be hoped that one Of the smallest isl
p ands will first be experimental on, /
the owners of such an island are will
ling To risk the result. They should re
member that the Washington authorit
expressly states Cd that they may d
some injury CD that 1t is by no mean
certain that they will feed on the borers
Nov. T. y. c. l.. PERKINS,