He even cut a small hole in the back of the skull and carefully scooped out the brain.
These specimenswhich now exist in nine different museums around the worldare all that is left of this species.
Cats are fantastic predators.
A large number of these victims are killed not for food, but for fun.
Cats are stimulated by the chase and even if not hungry, they will still kill.
Lyall had never seen this bird before, and for that matter, no biologists ever had.
Walter Rothschild, a British banker and zoologist, acquired several specimens from Lyall for a handsome price.
One of the surviving specimen of Stephens Island Wren.
Every known specimen of this extinct species was delivered to a lighthouse keeper by his cat.
The birds probably migrated to this isolated island during the last glaciation when it was connected to the mainland.
By then, the bird was seen alive only twice.
This is probably a record performance in the way of extermination.
Nine months later, he proudly reported that he had shot more than 100 feral cats.
It took another 26 years, but by 1925 the island had finally become cat free.
Stephens Island as seen from D’Urville Island.
Photo credit:LawrieM/Wikimedia
The Stephens Island lighthouse.
Photo credit:maritimenz.govt.nz
The Stephens Island Wren.
