NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 19386, 21 October 1926, Page 16

NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB

NATIVE BIRDS, On Saturday afternoon the Naturalists’ Field Club held a very pleasant outing at Bethune’s Gully. The party climbed up from the creek through the bush to the open country of Pine Hill. FeVns grew profusely in the shade and shelter of the bush, and up on the hillside a majestic specimen of miro was greatly admired. Large trees of native beech (Nothofagus Menziesu) were also noted. The indoor meeting on Monday evening was held in the lecture room at the Museum, when Mr W. «L Williams gave a very interesting address on ‘ Native Birds, 1 dealing more particularly with the various species which have almost, if not entirely, disappeared since the advance of settlement. One of tho earliest records of tho birds of this district was made by Dr Shortland, who visited Purakanui in 1844. Ho wrote: “In the morning I woke early, and as dawn peeped forth was deafened by the sound of tho bellbirds. Tho woods, which were close by, seemed to be thronged with them. Never before had I heard so loud a chorus.” Whoever has often slept in the woods in New Zealand will have learned that the first bird to wake up is tho kaka. At tho, sound of his harsh cry the New Zealander knows that daybreak is not far off! “.Kua langi te kaka.” “The kaka has cried,” is, then, synonymous with “ It is limo to bestir oneself.”

Speaking of tho birds which have disappeared from tho Dunedin district, Mr Williams stated that Dr Hector reported that the orange-wattled crow was once plentiful on Mount Cargill, and wood pigeons were very numerous on tho Peninsula in 1863. Saddlebacks and native canaries were reported in Nicoil’s Creek bush in IS7I by Mr P. Thomson. The wcka had disappeared from tho settled districts of Southland in the eighties. The robin was rapidly disappearing in the nineties, thougn they were still common around Invercargill up till 1901. This little bird is very friendly and is almost identical, In everything except plumage, with Lae redbreast of England, lie is a songster of tho first order, _and to hear him on a summer’s morning is a treat. No imported bird can sing and keep up a morning anthem like the robin. The native lark is a bird of the open country, and frequents the paddocks and tussock lands It may bo distinguished from tho skylark by its friendliness to man and also by its habit of running .along a road or path in front of a traveller. Tho banded dotterel also frequents the open country. It usually nests in river beds amongst sand and shingle, but sometimes in bare paddocks, its eggs are a splendid example of protcclectiva coloring. The chicks also niaich their surroundings, and can run about almost as soon as they are hatched, interesting notes were also given concerning parakeets, webns, kens, and numerous other birls. A number ol specimens representing the birds mentioned were placed on view, and at the conclusion of bis address Mr Williams was accorded a very hearty vote of thanks