NOTES ON NEW ZEALAND BIRD LIFE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 448, 5 March 1909, Page 4

NOTES ON NEW ZEALAND BIRD LIFE.

—, —. A REMARKABLE'CASE OF INSTINCT. IMPORTED BIRDS AND "NATURAL s ENEMIES."': .U. A PLEAFOR SANCTUARIES,' ... (By R. C Bruce.) ' I had a letter recently'from Mrs. Mackenzie, wife-of Hon. Thomas Maokonzio, M.P., wjilcl)'. she yfli.om sll(i , -: ; wa> .acquainted, wlio lived in :the ; early (lays of-, the colony somewhere west. of Lako Waka;:.tipu, ,and who'found two moa's eggs, ono of: ■'•■w.iich,'-" wheilV acoidentally-'broken,.. flung •'"'around such' an aroma as .'to taint the atmos-'iVplTere-in-the'vicinity v This .they naturally as proof positive that tho moa-wan . not then extinct," and wcro. always Ji'oping to patch... a glimpse,,.of ; thb nob] 6. Jbircl; itself, ;a 1 hope which, unfortunately, was nover real- - iscd. , . .• .■ A Remarkable Little Bird. I have recently received from 'tho Maoris'* in this district the following information in reference to the manner in which tho riro riro, ono of our smallest birds, builds its nest, and in this it displays tho same subtlo and mysterious instinct to which I have in previous letters.alluded,in connection with tho wild: ducks of New' Zealand and tho''musk rat of' North America. This. consists of their apparent ability, to forecast the seasons, building" their, nests-further-from tho water ..than usual upon,tho approach of a wet and .stormy spring. And the riro riro builds a little verandah over tho hole through which it creeps into',.its nest, but upon tho approach of a wet , season this' aperturo is placed further round than usual, so as to avoid tho wind which brings tho rain. This, the Maoris allege, and really " if truo, it is no more won-' derful or mysterious than those instances to: which I havo alluded in previous letters. ' Worshipped by the Natives. : In.a.clipping which.l,'.recently recciyed.al-' hision is made to a bird which must now be extinct, but 'in' refcrenco.'to \vhich there are dim and shadowy traccs of Maori tradition. •Mr. Charles Cameron, now of Wangachu, but who was residont , at „Turakiria in the. early, fifties, recently told mo of a bird which he; then shot of a. species" which ho had never seen before or'since; and W has struck ra'o' as Being possible that> it-war tho bird' in' whose existence Sir Walter' Buner believed to thelast; although he never' had tho good fortune to sco one._ Mr. Camoron told mo that two; of those birds were together, but • the; riiato of .the ono that -was -shot ho ;neyer saw, again. Hot described it as being "about the , size of a woodhon, of dark colour, very'round .and compact, with a small.round head, and; short thiok red be'akr ;'lt had sljprfc. fcet.shprt. ■thick-' body, : with black" feather's.- It- ap--p'afed to b'ealand bira;" ; ',"At ; ytho'UiracV ; thei;e' lived ono of 'the 'famous' tho "early part or the last century, lit was this chief' • who fought Hongi's ■ musket-armed warriore from AVanganui to Turakina, stubbornly contesting ovory. milo of tho way. And he it was who,-at'a great runanga, held by the Rangitikei Rivor, spoko for some hours in support of a purchase of-land from tho Natives, the boundaries ofewhich.,wore in dispute, sticking his spear,'in vtho words, "Now,, this-is'/.the Dpundarytlfee, r : : ii'nd if it is disputed, L' will go and ; Bti#'jfijri'igear- in at tho base of .tho/Ruahiho Mountains:" But tho grei\t-mana- ; .of this',,heroic,'warrior chief settled 'at : orice tho."points .in'dispute. Mr. Cameron sent for this chief,; : .with whom he was intimafcly. acquainted,' with , tho' object obtaining information'in' I'efqronco' to the' .bird.., ..He;was : a ihaii of .extraordinarily. fiery temper,.and Mr; !mb;ihat "when ho sawjithe. rage, and .FTthpugHV'that.;,hVwak'-g6ih'gv'to toma-; hawk fne:::.H6 ,said that.,his'/ance : stfirs used to worship,the bird, and rare, then, Hp alsp,:,said thajb-;lV'^ouM.-never have ' a ?y of the bird would tojs'uggVst that it may have been a species (if'coot,"'and if so, mav it not have been the. bird ofJVJaori legend? It: is b'liV'r fear; that it must for ever-retain a place in thel realms/of - dim ran'd shadowy Maori tradition. i|

Tho Bhinlng Cuokbo.' : • ' AT, young friend of , mine, wly> is a- close observer of "our bird' life,' tells mo that ho has been watching a battle royal for two days botween-a—thrush-and-irthining 'cuckbo, ; for the possession of tho former's nest. He also bolieves that in some instances the cuckod deposits the eggs.- Another friend tolls ine that ho saw tho shining cuckoo swallow an ' egg which it took from a blight bird's nest. Notes on the Wood Pigeon. Clay has been, used as.an antiseptic dressing by savages, and tho Maoris resorted to this treatment for their wounds with most beneficial results, I had a call from a : Maori many yoars ago, 'wTiqsWcck on ono side and part of tho lower jaw presented a most ]•«• pulsivo appearance, as it" seemed to show a - great, red, scrofulous-looking sore. He was a..somewhat ghastly-looking,' person/. blit;after plastering tho affected parfcfwith--bllio-papa ' '•» # ,)vasistill more: repulsive. Of .yoars ftfterwards'T'met'hihr&uito cured,, but bearing,tho.scars of, tho•!malady But'it will perhaps surprise many to hear that our woundedwood . pigeons also stuff olay into their womic!s. 'I N first heard of this from a neighbour, 'whose daughters discovered the clay in tho'wounds of wounded birds, SJid 1 have smco. then heard of at least three well-authenticated instances of a similar nature. Mr. .Cameroti, from : whom I have previously quoted, told mo that in tho early" days he frequently heard tho old Maoris speaking of. the practico, of ■ tho pigeons in dressingitheir; wounds.inflicted by the spear with which they stalked their prey. A few years ago I pointed ..out. .to tho Wellington Acclimatisation Society that. tho pigeon appeared to mo as being a somewhat mysterious • bird. hen I settled hero: in the Parae . Karetu country, on the. beautiful banks of tho .iurakina Itiver, an unbroken ■ tract of torest country stretched aivay tho, open coast belt right to tho base of the noble Kuahine .mountain■;range, c.When I Settled here, pigeons were most.plentiful, and largo flocks were not -infrequently to bo seen at high altitudes; cleaving, the .air >in their nights, and often travelling northward, su"gesting to rnc tho,i(}e^;that.theyi.i'r.a3 T - have come from brocqling-placos in tho South island. Aever dunng-the years which I sper.t clearing the-forest,'in my locality/, nor anvwhere in th£ neighbourhood, did I ever we a, pigeon's nest;,' aiul. Mr, Grace, of Taupo, told me. that so very rarely:wair,6rie seen by the Maoris-;that they .regarded-,:its discovery as_ an «vil : .oroon:lhave spok'eh- toi buslimeh who have-spent many-years *in clearing tho forest ln-reForcnco they told mo.■.that/v.ery,.rarely..'''have 'they seen a pigeon s. nest. .It assumed that tho; occasional/.iie&t found iii : , the forest cannot accourlf'for'Jttol Vristfflookiliof pigeons which existed, in tliia'-lpcaliliy not- very manv years ago;.. I have recently heard 'that Mr. Percy Smith,:of-,Ner</Plymouth, has stated */ im> 7'-1,ll ,l , s -e rM t iexperienco of-the New Zealand forest he/has never scon a pigeon's nest, and also that ari old Maori chief. 0 with whom ho is' acquainted, told him ho has nover seen one. either.;- Mr. Grace told me that this subjcct furnished material for much discussion amount; the. old Maoris, ;■ to whom it presented an ips'oluble/problem-.*,

Tho Walt a and impoYtod Birds. I am not by any means in sympathy with thoso who woukl endeavour to exterminate the weka, in consequence of its egg-suckinc proclivities, which, niiilly appear 'to regard as tho principal causo'for' the.-jnarkod diminution in the number of and quail. 1 This opens up a larrre and abstruse problem— the rapid, decreaso'ofVtfur, imported.,avi-fauna. Tho general belief''ift\:;rbferaicr.'to".'tliis investing .question ■^••that is attributable to what-are' called' tho, "natural enemies, consisting of hawks, "cats, stoats and weasels, woodhens, otc. . I havo 110 belief

whatever in.this.'alleged sijlutipn'of;tho problem. When quail and pheasants were in- •) creasing at-'f most;/ astonishing,, rate, tho "natural eiiwmies" -were quite as numerous ai, they are"'to-day.' 'So'o'xtfaoKlina'rily pro-' lifl.e'jreto..these; birds, in .ifls 'Jo&Jifot,- Uwt not

.yety .long- after, their .first appearance I havo! ■ ;scon oleven 'c6ck pheasants all together within! a.stono throw of my -wbaro, and J have also! . 'soonl'a; flock'of quail, which I thought at tho- • 'timer"must ".pf'ouiibly contain about three, thousand birds. As is only too well known/ these birds ire to-day very scarco by 0,0:11- : .panson, although in my- locality they- ere again slightly on tho increase. But what can be tho causo of the extraordinary decrease.'in recdnfc ' y<?ars ? ' Fot reasons previously given, I cannot ngroo with thoso ' -who attribute it to the "natural enemies." Many organisms, both animal and vegetable, when introduced to a new country where conditions afo favourable, thrive and incrcaso at absolutely abnormal rates.. I might in this connection point out tho beo, which, when first introduced, increased amazingly. Amongst vegetable organisms, tho thistle, clovers, and other plants, furnish similar instances. All these organisms increase at . abnormal ratos for a poriod, but after a whilo ! old Damo Nature nppoars with her cheeks and : balances, : and something more nearly approaching normal conditions is resumed. '• But, it may bo asked, . what are tljcso. phccks and balances. Speaking in the abstract, the increnso or decrcaso of species is attributable to tho question of food supply, Hoiv far this may enter into tho problem under consideration still remains to bo discovered. It is possible that our birds' may havo exhausted the at first .abundant food • supplies, they may havo suffered 'from-somo malady unknowu to us, or they may porliaps require an infusion of now blood. But these aro mere surmises. Tho problem has not yet emerged from tho realms of speculative theory or imaginative thought. It is frequently alleged that the stoats and weasels have practically exterminated the weka in the South Island. This may be so, but such cannot ho said in referenco to the weasels and wekas in this locality. There havo been stoats and weasels in this district for fully twenty years, and wo havo never known them to kill or molest a bird of any kind. But thoy do kill tho rats, the most active and dangerous enemy of out feathered friends. Since the appearance of weasels the wekas havo increased amazingly in this district, but this increase has been attributable to other causes. The fact remains that these birds havo beon largely on the increaso since the' appearance of the weasels, and although this is merely a coincidence, still it proves that tho weka has been practically unmolested, and is well able to bold bis j own. Although they havo becomo quite a - nuisanco to tho thrifty housewife in conse- j quenco of their love of eggs, lam of opinion | that they little injury to the nests' of tho pheasants and quail. I believe that Naturo in some subtlo manner throws pro- | tection over tho nesting birds. A young j neighbour of mine, who is a very close ob- , server of our bird life, tells me that in a J littlo paddock with some cover in it close to his houso several pheasants annually bring , out their birds, although, as ho says, "tho placo is alive with woodhens." Many mem- _ bers of our acclimatisation societies would wish to exterminate our woodhen in conseof their alleged destructiveness to tho pheasants, but if. we were in the position of having : to select one of these birds, I would ® give my yot-q iof :the .woodhen. It is with its . quaint ways a most fascinating bird. I love ' its, to me, weird and-tuneful call, and it 1b withal a most interesting connecting link 1 with tho past life of New Zealand. I there- jj fore put in a plea for tho preservation of a charming and typical Now Zealand bird. j Preservation of Forest Sanctuaries. 5

All lovers-of our native birds, and, indeed, all lovers of Nature, should render every assistance to any movement having for its object the preservation of portions of forest as sanctuaries for our feathered tribes. By so doing, wo may also coincidontally preserve much beautiful sc'ehery'and give to our young people tho. open, book of. Nature .as a. delightful study when- botanising in the forest. On' tho banks of tho Turakina River in my vinicity there is a pieco of land containing about six hundred acres covered with typical New Zealand;forest, tho preservation of which would.-,: serve all tho purposes which I have indicated,' and the purchase of which by thft StateJwould.bejuii) my opinion, a most. tho Hon. T. Mao-i kenzie wo'liavo'Vraost zealous and enthusiastic student of; Nature, well acquainted with our bird life,'and ;fully al;vo to tho desir-ability-:.«f»fomtT<»nserv»t)on for the purposes, #hich', I l ,'My®; briefly indicated.; Judging fromXwhai-.I know to bo'a growing desire, anjl nmyi discovered in most unexpected quarters', 'FfeeKsure that if Mr. Mackenzio were to%spend-.a corisidorablo sum annually on?, the preservation of forest. reserves ho would at any rate mutually receive tho warm approval of .public opinion. I much regret to say that Mr. Cameron, whom I havo quoted in this letter, has since the prtoeding lines were written, received his final call, at tho ripe age of ninety years.— R.p.B.:::": . . '