The introduction of the old-world pheasants interests me very little.  Every one that I see is a painful reminder of our slaughtered quail and grouse,—­the birds that never have had a square deal from the American people!  Thus far the introduction of the Hungarian partridge has not been successful, anywhere.  Connecticut, Missouri, New Jersey and I think other states have tried this, and failed.  The failure of that species brings no sorrow to me.  I prefer our own game birds; and if the American people will not conserve those properly and decently they deserve to have no game birds.

THE EUROPEAN RED DEER IN NEW ZEALAND.—­Occasionally a gameless land makes a ten-strike by introducing a foreign game animal that does no harm, and becomes of great value.  The greatest success ever made in the transplantation of game animals has been in New Zealand.

Originally, New Zealand possessed no large animals, and no “big-game.”  When Nature passed around the deer, antelopes, sheep, goats, wild cattle and bears, New Zealand failed to receive her share.  For centuries her splendid forests, her grand mountains and picturesque valleys remained untenanted by big game.

In 1864, the Prince Consort of England caused seven head of European red deer to be taken from the royal park at Windsor, and sent to Christchurch, New Zealand.  Only three of the animals survived the long voyage; a buck and two does.  For several weeks the two were kept in a barn in Christchurch, where they served no good purpose, and were not likely to live long or be happy.  Finally some one said, “Let’s set them free in the mountains!”

The idea was adopted.  The three animals were hauled an uncertain number of miles into the interior mountains and set free.

They promptly settled down in their new home.  They began to breed, and now on the North Island there are probably five thousand European red deer, every one of which has descended directly from the famous three!  And here is the strangest part of the story: 

The red deer of the North Island represent the greatest case of in-and-in breeding of wild animals on record.  According to the experience of the world in the breeding of domestic cattle (not horses), we should expect physical deterioration, the development of diseases, and disaster.  On the contrary, the usual evil results of in-breeding in domestic cattle have been totally absent. The red deer of New Zealand are to-day physically larger and more robust animals, with longer and heavier antlers, and longer hair, than any of the red deer of Europe west of Germany!

Red deer have been introduced practically all over New Zealand, and the total number now in the Islands must be somewhere near forty thousand.  The sportsmen of that country have grand sport, and take many splendid trophies.  That transplantation has been a very great success.  Incidentally, the case of the in-bred deer of the North Island, taken along with other cases of which we know, establishes a new and important principle in evolution.  It is this: