First Study Of Island Snipe

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30981, 10 February 1966, Page 3

First Study Of Island Snipe

(N.Z. Press Association) I WELLINGTON, Feb. 9. The first detailed i observance of the I Auckland Island snipe was among the successes of a New Zealand scientific party which visited the islands. Dr. R. A. Falla, Director of the Dominion Museum, told the Wellington Rotary Club today. The semi-flightless and “obscure little bird” was able to nest on few of the islands because of predators. Dr. Falla said. “We were able to observe the snipe, and for the first time, as far as I am aware, we saw its nesting habits.” The scientific party, which spent three weeks on the Auckland Islands, was made up of botanists, zoologists, animal ecologists and entomologists representative of most New Zealand scientific I interests. Scientific Fieldwork Dr. Falla said the islands twere valued for scientific

fieldwork in spite of their chequered history. The two larger islands were of about 120,000 acres and 20,000 acres respectively. Several others of about 1000 acres were to the north of these. They were discovered by the masters of two sealing vessels of the London Enderby firm in 1806. Because of the supply of seals the location of the islands was kept secret as long as possible, but it soon leaked out. There was a period of intense destructive activity until about 1820. when the seals had been so decimated it was no longer economic to hunt them. In 1840 the islands < were visited by three big scientific parties from Britain, France and the United States. Colonial Days The islands, however, had remained in the mind of Charles Enderby, one of the principals of the sealing firm. He imagined himself as a coloniser of the order of Wakefield, and saw great potential in the Auckland Islands, Dr. Falla said. The result was that in 1849 he set up a colony of about 300 people on the islands. It

was a fully self contained community based on a sealing industry, with full servicing facilities. Dr. Falla said that it was quite incredible to imagine on visiting the islands now that they had once supported a town with a church, cobbled streets, a gaol and all other amenities. The islands were eventually neglected by the colonisers, but were later taken in hand by the New Zealand Government. They were divided into pastoral runs, most of which were taken up by Southland farmers. The last lot of cattle were landed on the islands about 1890. In Natural State But, said Dr. Falla, the inevitable happened and the islands have reverted to more or less their natural state. But the early colonisers and farmers had left behind a variety of introduced animals, which could now be. studied in a more or less natural state. These included rabbits, goats, pigs, cattle and even cats. In addition, there was the native animal and bird life, as well as many insects. Some of these had adapted them-

selves to the state of the islands and were thus worthy of special study. Surprisingly, the Auckland Islands had a fair amount of bush, as well as a wide variety of alpine plant life. The islands were situated about 340 miles south of Dunedin, or about a quarter of the way to the Antarctic. They had a rigorous climate with sudden changes of temperature and high winds. The vegetation and bird and insect life reflected these conditions, Dr. Falla said.