NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 6

NATURE NOTES

THE GKEY WARBLEE

(By X H. D. SUdolph, RA 0.U.) A readoi of this column his nsLod for information conceiving the grtj warbler, one of Now Zealand's most charming native birds It belongs to a group o£ birds Known is> *b cjUhirs, which art, ioprcsontt.4 in this cuuntrj and its outbwg islands bj tan sptmes 'Iho grej warbier is a quiet Irving, un obtrusive bird, found in all puts oi the Dominion. It is lathei aoinbuly clad in. a coat of brownish oi aahy gre\, most of the tail leathers being tipped With white Tiue. to \\\c imputation, of }ts family, stp'subsists Entirely on niiects I and thx^ir larvae and spideis A bird I which is rtjstnctod to^ aw m sectivoious. diet sue)i as the grey ■warb kr performs inca^wablo servict- to the country. Its ungrudging nnd wnomun orative Vfork aa an ins.tiLt dcstrojci is of \itarimp6rtancc to orchid lets, gaitleners, and raimers Jt js so nngancorned about sucTt <tajrtties aa ripe black currants that it his been known to build }**• beautiful somi hanging nest in ■tho tnl^et of a mv uit tieo iv tull boarnig, 4W,*lthangh Jha. jrjohlMig buds iound"J! necessary fo tausb aSide tho uuraUty'qYor} UmA .1 vivit was pudto tho teit, the fyclrots v-tta nov or touched, If Is foitunft^ indeed that tho warbler »h mdintaulcd its numboia" fairly vrfty m spi^gf^tho stcttltmcnt of the country', -Jt is equally at homo in the cit* and ta*vn gardens as it is In tho dtpth| of fhiS f()retft, it is just is happy ntfjthe tanhjna and manuka wistes ot the lonlanraSs Jt 3s in sub' alpmo gcr«b. It does, jn fact, oocwl- m all typea of countrj, Thq piettv fhiin of tlic waiblci ag ono of tho most pie bud notes to. be hcaid in Now-Re ilUntl its nqtet. seem to tonvoj ,i s.pult ot ohtoUuhiLsa md hnppiutss and niaiiyinWrson. wan . dorwg througU the. bush stops to Jisten attentively to the bird's \otal, eutoi--tainmout—the notes often appca; to coma ftom tho depths at the, loiest, andiisitors unacq-ttmafe4-'wirh- 'tlro l«rdwondei whU little loathoicd fuond po« sesscs such <i sucot molotl>>. Ihoie is qmto a diftoroncr betwoon the notes ot \\ftrbltrB t J)i iJiriooi-, jmr-tsot the country . A bhd heard noai "ffount Ilofdsw oi th, in I|\(i laiaiua Mounta.iiis, had q, pa.itKu j I irly pleasing trill, sotnttHrig-rury much like ''chcTiec, ehci ici, ehei ice, chei roe," ftr^.t,Wii|h. anOL-tlutiLJosf, .md scr on altcrmtclj "VVai biers hcaul in tho State Forest near Packakanki hid p, io^ mark"ibl> diffeieut noto, uttered o« a descending scale) throughout, icsqmblmg more like <(ehc lpice^eeoe" l^ieatod fn the Botanical Gudcns jet anollici typo of note has been ioeortlod r &oi»e^ thing like "chc ii.cc ere larc ie" ic^ poatccli X pan ot waibleis whuh^visi^tho writoi's garden become gieatly agi-> lated if an unusual noise is made with tho hand agunst the niauth, Appioachc 3iij» quite close, one of the buds utters a v er> troubled medley of feeble notes,, quite dlffoient fiom its usual tiiJJ 'Ihe warbler's notes aie lieard ofeasionally almost thioughout the jeai, but n; t«o spring and,|sunu)\t;i tlie birij seems to devote nwcliTjuors-Mmd-to--singuig, be mg most silent in the autumn lha nroriro, like praoucally all otlur native hirdu, ii protected bj lav?, and finders of its uumi^takablQ g.oinl pendulous nc&t should on no to«eh the eggs or j oung b;i ds \ltliough (he wo.ihtei iPjims the out^ side world a piu in trial iy chcciful little" ?jird, it Ins to -b(*f moSc Ih'tn its usu il share ot tioubU onl> his it to attend to its own dointatit duties, bl(t it is hlsq foisted with thos.o oi the slun» 3ng cuckop, which absolutolj «|eolincs to iindertakfr-s-Uklij): irijojitißSTtjjsk as tiro huildinjEofrftV 5: ¥FSLjic<tt ) Tit6nbj-tmg flfp pggs an4-r«?aMii^*Tnp young All tt docsig to placo its egg in tho mst of i gie> ■warbler and Icivo this httlc bird to do tfce-rest"- ■ ri vhti J-ustmt-iwsnH!~f3r tlfnt tfiff' young cuckoo, almost as, soon as it is hatched, begins to shuftle out tho j oung Vjwubleis, if thorp iro any in the nest, i>oWith-jt itig ih<! !>olf acmpant It then begins to grow i apiiflj^turt-liefoa o lp_ng o nKbro"than fills thpyn<.c4iqi ot Iho nest' j Tj/i« adult warbloi& TiS,\o~tir wock un : I te<«ingly fiom dajlight to dai^ to sat 1 jify its enormous appetite, and when ] the last js soen of tins fostm child the htile birds must be th uiUtul indeed It I is real hard -\\oik ioi such a small hm\ j as,ithe vvarblc^ to ipai a ciucl 00, but, fpAnnately,1 it wMAbloita successful!j hjsridle ono'-biood of j'ouny'betoie tho < uckoo arrive? m Zoaluid Al thdugh it is ftcquctitlj 'a^g-erted that th« long tailed cuckoo also places its ' eggs in th,q, nest of the warblei, the w^itehtad appoai-. to bo the most fie qt}4nt victim ot this-spgncs. In fact, it'^B very doubtful li inftliy long tilled t dUdjcoo's eggs hue pyci b.een found in j tflia warble»'a"nost'* C-ertnmVj there ai9 ilia'it areas of ,o'mmliy' tnlnbitpiT by 4 -vvVrjblers in v^Tch-tlfO,lou£ tailfd «ue ' > I 0,0 is seldom It •cV'fei stiTtn or" heard ' i 11 *■ T' il ■ . < i| Tho C'liithani l»fmd%, pjssei&cfl >i >i niudilei of itfr pvvn Jt v iH closolv ro« J la^ed to the m unland- ajiffics, but is <l Hrsfer and Ins ffio foiehoad and thrqat. II wjijto Isot much has boon locordcd of jl :tn habits but it Is lopoited to be tho I lommoncst native bush bud on the is JMajfifls, according to observations mule. "hy Messr Gilhcit Arolicu-awd C'LincK si}; whgja»Hctt"tEa &4)*th"ani C rou]:] a}l tqivj^-M*^?o" "l 'f]icj_ )jicoiel«l the ± let" J, that tb£..;u»Ml«nt£uraWnrr"rnic bird Ihe M-A*srtiSa-p«c; ltP'i7rrsuggpstivc of their "TTiTsy tip tipping Uong the twigs and branches in seaieh foi msoots