NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 74, 24 September 1938, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

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THE SILVER-EYE

COLONIST FROM AUSTRALIA

(By R. H. D. Stidolph.)

The pretty little silver-eye, a colonist from Australia, active and lithesome ih all its movements, leads "a busy: life even when it is.not engaged in the task of brooding the eggs and rearing its young. Now that most of the deciduous trees are breaking into bud and leaf; , it feels that the time has arrived for giving attention ito the serious, affairs of life. In the writer's' garden," for instance, a pair : has decided to remain and has already commenced the : construction of the "nest, which- is being built near the top of a matipo growing near the front gate. The bulk of the material- being used in its construction is the bark of the so-called lacebark. It is both interesting and amiising to watch this pair endeavouring to pull off strips of the bark and one large tree bears ample evidence of the bird's industry. On many: of the branches shreds of the bark are hanging down, showing where the bark has. been" pulled~;away. It is with these . pieces of rhaterial that this little feathered artisan weaves together a deep cup-shaped cradle, attached by the rim, the interior being finished off with a lining of hair. . \ : . ITS BEAUTIFUL NEST. The silver-eye is a - bird thajt frequently nests in town gardens, even right alongside a highway or a path. Although the type ,of its nest never varies greatly, the materials most handy are; used in. its construction;! One of the first nests of this bird^which the writer examined,-, for. instance, was found in the lower branches of a tawa in a sniall clump of bush. This nest was built of moss; wool, and grass stems, . though, the cup, true to custom, was lined with hair. The nest measured three inches across, the .cup beings slightly less and at least Xi~ inches deep. Another nest found -the ; same day, placed near the eiid, of a: branch of; a totara, about five feet from the ground,' was/built almost entirely of • wool,, with a little moss i worked, in on the lip .of the-cup. 'A third .example, which had a cup two inches in" diameter, and 2i inches deepi was suspended by.the rim from five sprigs of ,branchlets,. This . nest was built of moss, fine- rootlets, strips of lace-bark; bark, cobwebs, and horse-hair, but in the greater part oi the structure moss was used. One b$ the most beautiful,. as far as its set* ting was; concerned, was. built among • the dead fronts of a. tree growing alongside a trqck Hear historic Russell, intheßa'y ,of Islands. , ? "?. .••.' *• -." ' -.. ,i..'.•••.' ■•..". .■.■-■ GATHERING THE IttATEBIAL.* Other favourite nesting sites" aim manuka, tauhiria, some, of the small-/ . growing cbprosinas,; ; , or "evert gorse. A nest found near the; Mount Holdsworth Road had the exterior built of fine r roots,' moss, rabbit fur, > cow hair, .and .-;- pieces of grass,: bound together with cobwebs ai.d wools.. Some of the pieces} - x \ of grass used ' in the ; nest-were, six ;; inches long. In- the cup of. this nest , were many long; pieces: of grass, ja feature of. the structure being, the large quantity of this material which "was Used not. only- in the. cup but in tjae body of the nest as.: well.-; vQn one occasion a pair of silver-eyes were ;\ building a nest in a; garden on .the.; opposite side of the road, and. the two birds were, seen tp pay. repeated visits, tp an oia".blackbird!ssneiSt rm r?'a- laureL !Bottk "the.' :s.iiyef-^ye.s.. "rnade,^ y|gprbxia hest ; .-. ■ and having, secured -some after much hard work, p.romptly flew away- to their iiest.: These, birds were, thus engaged for. at.least three.days and"niust have secured the great bulk of the material for their nest from-this deserted^ oie of the previous season. ■Almost invariably the. silyer.-ey<?: ■'. laj^s tfayee eggs, yery^ rarely^ fbur. ■' The eggsj are bluegreen in ;colj3ur, witlibttt 'anyj spots and are a: "fairVsize■ forsuchv a small bird, ■•' ;. •',,-•.. .FOND-OF^-IMttLK.",..:; ... A ' ; The silver-eye is a voracious .feeder and' is"alwaysTeady to; deypui; scraps of all kinds, v iOn .this account it,is piie of the easiest birds to attract to the garden, especially in the cplder months of the yean In localities where it vis not molested it becomes quite tame and feeds unconcernedly within a foot , or two of. an '"pbsefyer. About three years ago the .writer daily placed ia saucerful of milk outside for. the particular, benefit of a hedgehog that was often noticed in the garden., It was only a matter' Of a day or two before a .number of silyer-eyes discovered that the niilk was-very much 1;o tfieir. liking and three or four of these little birds could be seen drinking the milk at "the same time. These birds became so tame that they would hardly move out of .the way and .would -feed, at a "watcher's feet. The more normal food of the silverreye .consists :pt nectar, berries, and insects'. On' one .occasion the writer was interested. in- the actions of a silver-eye ;which .was systematically searching the 1 leaves: 'of' a^titokl , for insects...; After haying-; swallowed a small green caterpillar, it vigorously attacked a leaf .which had been folded over to enclose a caterpillar. The silver-eye made repeated to reach -the dainty; morsel >hidden.witbia but-failed. ..';,■, • ; ::; ; - ■ - COLONISER FROM AUSTRALIA. Although the silver-eye is now ; so widespread and common, \ it has taken up its residence in New, Zealand, only in the last ninety years/It was riot in. evidence before the fifties of-last century. Fii-st of all, according to accounts of its arrival in New Zealand, it appeared in the South' Island and for several years visited :the North Island m the winter. Subsequently. it remained in the North Island and bred thei*e and has now become one of the commonest species. Its colonisation of New Zealand is an interesting event. No doubt- the ekplanation is that a considerable flock; px-obably assisted in their passage over the Tasman Sea by a westerly wind, peached : New Zealand in '- sufficient numbers' to establish themselves here. In any case, the silverreye had. not previously been lcnown to the Maoris, who were particularly observant :as far as birdrlife was concerned. The silver-eye occasionally may be heard migrating during the night; when the clear call note is uttered at short, intervals, indicating the.movements\6f the birds. . - .. : . •