THE KING OF THIEVES

Evening Star, Issue 23657, 17 August 1940, Page 3

THE KING OF THIEVES

THEWEKA [Writon hy Joel Fishek. for the ‘Evening Star.’] Unbounded curiosity and a propensity to annex anything movable are tho traits ascribed to the weka by buslimen, who, unable to stand tho annoyance of losing camp property, including such valuables as watches, are inclined to allow their dogs to clear them out from the vicinity of the camp. Tho weka is tho king of thieves, and its one great aim in this life is to investigate everything that appears strange. Such covetousness and curiosity often prove ifs undoing, and it falls prey to dogs, cats, and stoats. Silver coins and table cutlery are a great attraction to its perverted mind, but such petty annoyances, and perhaps the habit of stealing eggs from the fowlyard, are the only crimes that can be laid at the door of the weka. Against these charges must be set the fact that the bird is one of the most entertaining and interesting in the bush, both to the bird lover and the scientist, and that it consumes large quantities of grass grubs and other noxious inseetSj as well ns rats and mice. In waging war against these small mammals—it will also take young weasels when the opportunity offers—the weka acts as a protector to other native bird life. The above-mentioned crimes are now not very frequent, for. at the present time, its numbers are small in settled districts. They would undoubtedly increase in such localities could it obtain safe cover, as has been observed near Wanganui, where gorse affords a protection, but it is kept in chock in most places by dogs and cats. Formerly, the weka furnished a welcome article of food to the gold diggers and prospectors of tho west coast of the South Island. The birds were usually caught by dogs, and when undergoing the process of smoking, kept for a considerable time. From the fat of the weka oil was extracted which was, according to the bushmen. an unfailing remedy for rheumatism and allied complaints. However, no proof of this claim ever came to light. The following account by Captain Cook, of birds he calls “ Water and Wood Hens,” undoubtedly refers to the weka:—

“ These last, although they are numerous enough here, are so scarce in other parts that 1 never saw one. The reason may be that, as_ they cannot fly, they inhabit the skirts of the woods and feed on the sea beach; and are so very tame and foolish as to stand and stare at us till we knocked them down with a stick. Most of them are of a dirty black or dark brown colour, and'eat very well in a pye or fricassee.-” Most of the area over which the weka is distributed is forest country, but outside the forest it frequents scrublands, and especially the seashore and edges of lakes and swamps. It slinks about and satisfies its curiosity by inspecting everything unusual, all the time keeping as much under cover as possible. Nothing edible conies amiss to the weka. In the bush its principal food is worms, lizards, insects, various fruits, and, if so very fortunate as >to find the owners off their guard, other birds’ eggs. Many observers report that they have seen wekas enter a rabbit’s burrow and carry off the young, thus performing a service which is much appreciated by the New Zealand farmer. .It hunts diligently on the ground in the bush, turning over everything and anything movable in search of small animals or insects, while in the proper season it eats all small fruit within reach of on the ground. Fuschia, several species of coprosma, and even the snow totara of the sub-alpine scrub are favourite fruits. Near the seashore the weka finds a good deal of its food on the beaches and rocks, where it busily searches among the seaweed and driftwood cast up by the waves. Small Crustacea, dead fish—anything and everything is welcomed by the .weka. It sometimes catches small fish in shallow water. Nearer to civilisation the imported rats and mice are greedily devoured, the weka thus furnishing another good reason why it should be encouraged to breed and live alongside man. ■ The call of the weka, which carries a long distance and is heard from early evening through most of the night, is a shrill whistle begun on a low note, continued on a high one, and several times repeated. It is said that the male first calls, and before he has finished the female answers. However, Mr W. W. Smith, who investigated the habits of the weka very fully, states that the call is led off by the female and answered in all directions by both sexes. The same observer states that before rain its call is more incessant and repeated at shorter intervals. When calling the weka stands erect with bill and neck stretched upwards. Secretive in its habits and possessing a liking for dark places, the weka goes to great pains to conceal its nest. It may be under a leaning tree trunk, at the base of a tree fern hidden by the dead hanging leaves, under a clump of rushes, in a flax bush, or dense patch of manuka or fern. A very common situation and one well suited to the habits of the weka is under an overhanging rock. It is made of grass, the method of construction being thus described by W. W. Smith: ‘‘ The grass is placed in a loose heap in the spot selected; the nest is shaped by the bird squatting on the material and turning round until a hollow is formed ; it then draws the grass around its body with the under-surface of the lower mandible.”

According to Guthrie-Smith, the proximity of an abundant supply of food determines the site chosen by a weka for its nest. Various investigators have successfully used this clue when searching for the nest, which is usually very well concealed and hard to find.

The normal clutch of eggs appears to bo four, and these are laid from September onwards, even as late as June. Usually the weka pairs for life with a single" hen, but instances have been recorded where this rule has not been observed. Guthrie-Smith cites a case where eight eggs were laid in a nest near which three birds were observed, evidently .two hens associating with a sinzle male.

Both parents share the duty of incubation. which extends over a period of 27 days. The male bird assists in rearing the young, which remain in hiding somewhere while the dutiful parents hunt for food. In an account of the weka Henry states that when the weka chicks are about seven weeks old the mother hands them over to the father and takes no more care of them, but builds another nest and lays another clutch of eggs. The weka is now enioyiug the protection of the law. which it well deserves. It is to be hoped that this fact will result in an increase in its numbers, for the weka does a large amount of good, despite its thieving tendencies.