WAYS OF THE WILD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 229, 27 September 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

WAYS OF THE WILD.

A NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK. THE NEW ZEALAND DOTTREJj. (By A. T. PYCROFT.) The word dottrel 3s derived from ail old English word dote, meaning to act foolishly, and if any of these waders appear to do so their compeer is certainly the New Zealand dottrel. Bacon says, ''Wo sec how the foolish bird playeth tlio ape in gestures," and how successful the bird acts only those who have been enticed from the vicinity of its nest by its pretence of injury realise. When walking along a West Coast beach on the twelfth of September Mr. R. A, Fall a and the writer saw a male dottrel on our landward side. It immediately commcnced running with considerable speed ahead of us, at the same time uttering a short, sharp note of warning to its mate, which we later saw further inland, but travelling in the same direction as the male. It was surprising how quickly both birds ran ahead, stopping every now and again, and when we sat down they also stopped and commenced to return, but made a considerable detour, eventually getting behind us. Upon retracing onr steps the male was first seen, and with the aid of our glasses the female was also seen settled down as if upon her nest. As we approached she joined the male, and both birds again ran away; the female, however, returned upon our again halting, and proceeded towards her former position in short runs, stopping every now- and again as if in doubt, but ultimately reaching the same spot and settling down as before. As we walked directly to the spot, the female again left, and both birds at first retired some little distance. Upon reaching the position where the female had been seen, which was a slight rise in the sand, tlireo eggs were seen in a depression in the sand. The birds had selected a place where there were several stones and shells, and the site chosen was in fairly solid sand, which was not moved to any extent by the wind. The eggs were in a hollow, about six inches in diameter and two inches deep.

Behaviour of the Birds. When we sat down about three foot from the nest the female first approached, extending and drooping each wing alternately ay if they were injured. The tail was slightly spread and the wing feathers ruffled to complete the deception, the bird at the same time crossing and recrossing in front of us. It was thought that if one of us walked away the birds would become tamer, thus enabling them to be photographed. Mr. Falla retired, and I remained in my former position with my camera. Our ruse was successful.. Both birds came within six feet of me, and three photographs were taken. The noise and my movements made by the exposure and changing of the plates did not disconcert the birds. Upon Mr. Falla rejoining me we approached near to the nest to photograph it and the eggs, whereupon the female repeated her former gestures, and at last, as a good climax, lay on the sand with both wings outspread, beating the sand with them and uttering cries as if in pain. This was very realistic acting, which she followed up by charging towards us with wings half spread and feathers ruffled. The male went through the performance of lowering the wings as if injured, but l<?ss frequently and with less animation. After leaving the birds a considerable area of coast line was traversed, but no other dottrels were seen.

The New Zealand dottrel is peculiar to this country and is found in both islands, Stewart Island and the Great Barrier. It was formerly fairly plentiful, but is now scarce, except in a few localities. .-Buller states besides frequenting the ocean beaches and sand flats it inhabits the interior and appears to affect very high altitudes. It has been obtained far up in the Southern Alps at an elevation of nearly seven thousand feet. It has also been found on Mount Egmont at an elevation of six thousand feet. It is more plentiful on the mud flats and sand beaches of the Kaipara and Manukau Harbours than in any other part of the Dominion. It rs gregarious in its habits, when not breeding, associating in small Hocks, •which fly together from one feeding place to another, and then scatter themselves, mingling freely with the godwit and other waders frequenting the same localities. The maximum number of eggs is three. They are of a light olivo brown with numerous dark brown spots and blotches, chiefly at the larger end, and measure one inch nine lines by one inch three lines. The voung run with speed almost as soon as hatched and conceal themselves with much skill. The dottrel subsists chiefly on small crustaceans, mollusca, and eand hoppers, and pursues its prey on loot. An adult bird measures ten and a half inches in length. The summer plumage is conspicuous by the under surface of the bodv being chestnut brown. In the winter the under surface is white. Dottrel at Stewart Island. Guthrie Smith thus describes photographing a bird on the nest at Mason Bay. Steward Island: The dottrel was sitting liard and had immediately on my iirst approach, by a simulated death agony, given away the secret of her nest. As, however, she returned almost at once to the eggs, I had hopes, even from tho beginning, that photographs of a sitting bird of this breed might with caution and patience be obtained. In order to accustom her to new conditions,. unceasing perambulations of the ridge were necessary. At first this promenading was conducted at some twenty or twenty-five yards, but, foot by foot, as the hours passed, the distance was lessened. At each of tlie-.-e encroachments the bin." would perhaps for a minute leave the irest, always returning, however, and again settling 0:1 to the eggs. Thus, during that day and other days, I worked up to a, distance sufficiently near for a passable picture. Eventually, by piling rocks on th" camera legs, weighting it above with a huge granite flake, anchoring it again from the tripod and by two of us standing on the windward side, in a comparative lull of a six days' gale, a photograph was obtained. Guthrie Smith states that at Siewart Island a few dottrel arrive at Mason Ba.v to breed, their arrival taking place aoout tho middle of October. The ponied egg dates for this bird iwvc ImlJej to been October and November• lht f - recorded.