NATURE--AND MAN

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11768, 15 October 1932, Page 12

NATURE--AND MAN

BIRD FRIENDS OF HUMANITY

AN AMERICAN T’REA, (Edited by Leo Farming.) You call them thieves and pillagers, but know They arc the winged wardens of your farms, Who from the cornfields drive tin; insidious foe, And from vour harvests keep u hundred harms; Even Dm blackest of them all, the crow, , Renders good service ms your man at arms, Brushing the beetle in hits coat of mail, And crying havoc on Ihe slug and snail. Longfellow, “Birds of Killingworth.”

New Zealand's farmers arc concerned with some of the birds (acclimatised bore) which Longfellow had in mind. The agriculturists of those islands arc: gently reminded that certain imparled birds—which they regard ns intolerable pests—may have a balance io credit., if the mischief c:in be accurately estimated. Of course the native birds are in a different category; in the main they arc friends of man from every viewpoint, material ami spiritual. Now and then, from a limited locality, a

tanner may complain about the .swamp-hen or the J’a rad iso duck, but even in those isolated cases the balance would lie probably in favour oi the birds.

MELODIOUS LNKpJTIERS. In a comment on, a mind-stirring line of Victor Huso.---•'‘The beautiful is as useful as the useful,”—Junius Henderson, author of “the Bract ion] Value of Birds,” gives a reminder tha. the benefit cannot he wholly shown in material measure. Here are his soulful words:— “Whatever tends to make ihe world her ter and happier; whatever ministers to the aesthete- longings of the tinman -on'!: whatever leads the thoughts of men and women Nr the moment from tile sordid pursuit oi gain or from the rats' for persona] aggrandizement of beauty in any form: whatever entices tired care-worn people for a time from the shop, or office or store, or mine, or quarry, and brings them info closer contact with [lie beauty, grace ami charm ol i bine s oul -of-doors. is oi direct material value to t]ie. human race, even though that- value may not be mensurable in yards, acres, tons, bushels or dollars. The partial outdoor Hie oi iln* si indent fits both mmd and body for life's contests." Then follows a special tribute to birds.

IN TORCH WITH BELL-BIRD*. Demon, n member o; the evcc; 11 i\ o o* We Native Rir-.l friii Weirdy, is particularly ’-rood of We hi L-bi; d. Among h;» dw p-.v: of IB big is a tramp through the i ores! of tin- Tara run Range, Wellington. u> a ptace where he knows he will la* able to commune wen bell-birds. On a track- not far from the voek-oml nut. In.- rc-ts qua- i !v. a. ml v.hir-tle- certain notes. Err*., idly bis feathered friend- Untie,. inwards him item ihe higher branches of trees. Down tla y i na'i’ (•aruin-ly from hrancit to brunch iiutil iltev almost tench the v. istsMer s head. ‘Emm body f vying to sing liciivr iban we can. ' they wink, ” Lot ii- te.acli him a h's-en." I hey do. Apart from their own nuivvi'Hons range of music- itioy seem tj attempt art imiiaiion of Air. Denton's whistle. Tiny have delightfu 1 ihroaty gurgle'', in which limy apparently minim cm:another. Ordinarily Air. Denton v.-SM alirac! three or four of the.-..- lovable hi:ils- but when the season is s ' : gnT for fo.al a dez.cti may keep h:m camiwny. No doubt he 'hen in a mood to agree with this sentiment of Longfellow :

Do you ne'er think what wondrous beings these? Do you ne'er think who made them, and who faugh;. Tin; dialect they sneak, where melodies Ahum are ilie interpreters ot thought ? Whose household words are songs in many hoys. Sweeter than instrument of man e'er caught! Whose habitai ions hi the tree-tops even Are half-way houses on the way to heaven ! deltg.ii teed domfsticitv of THE, 'IT I

A Wellington business man owns a pair of tnis. At least he Pads that hi' docs. Of course tin's- arc m't in any man-made aviary. On his place ill Mu'ritni, across the 1 arbour, a pair of tuis made their home hist season in a easy (nlthage troe. They were not at till ally about their nesting'. dialed they often chuckled when people were about., as if housekeeping was a great joke. And weren't, they proud of fhoir two, children ! In due course of time. when the cabbage-tree was in full bloom, the parents regarded it as a kind of technical school. Here they taught ihe young tubs to enjoy the sweet feast of the .honeyed flowers. It was a- very joyful, family party. While the writer was bus-,- with (hat paragraph he heard a tnis heavenly voice in some gum-trees on tho Town Boll—chiming in with H't bolls of ihe Carillon-. Yes. the tnis are eager to be friendly with mankind. Wl'ct would nof encourage them?'

PRIVATE SANCTUARIES FOR. BIRDS. If is well known fhnl ihe Stale has some woodland sanctuaries for native birds, but those safetv-aver s are not. 'sufficient. \T.ru owitc-s of private property are in a position to help in the conserve! an of bird-life. How weU lnnmin '• !'>■■■ responds to. an appeal of that kind, is shown by (t. Illness Hartley in his hook, ■"Tho. Importance of Bird Life."* After a reference In Stale reserves for

Hie protection of game bird:. I he, author remarks. — “Private game sanctuaries ruu a parallel course with, the shooting preserves and really are of more importance to I lie longevity of tho birds. Their popularity in America? liars arisen in the comparatively short space of ten years and doubtless will continue to increase as the public Iranis more and. more how to care for its valuable bird life. In 1.018 and 1010 ‘‘The People's Horne .Journal.” a magazine deeply irderesled m the conservation of wild life, in-dil-uted campaigns among its .suhserik- <- r s for .sanctuaries. The results were surprising and showed what a hrm I.old the idea of conseryalk>n already had on the minds of the .American people. By ]o2f). merely through the efforts of this magazine, biffs wifd-life sanctuaries had been r-s»a|,-Rshcd ! Jitiiabhiinis of fori y-'f.w<» States ii;i< 1 responded, and, in all, 2--200,007 acres bad bee ! n set aside Jot* {his purpose!” Even from ihe viewpoint of Accltnmtisa tikin Societies such private sanctuaries would be- a .safeguard against- a too rapid diminution of game birds. A LEGEND OF TA VUAKL A North. Auckland native friend of: Mr. James Cowan Las given him some very intere-ling notes or; Afoari folk-lore of the forest. “A curious note from my correspondent concerns the neinei .or drvcopliyllmn. that i ropie-sleiifler in ft - iret; with its trunk blanched in c.'indelarniiin fasjiion and its long narrow grass-like leaves crowded in roset'es at till- iijis of the branches,” says .Mr. Cowan. ‘Mi., is called by Imslimen the spidenvood. ' : Tliis neinei says my correspondent, is the .-acred tree of j'nwiiaki. that heroic figure in Manri-Polynesian mythology who elimbed to the uppe r .heavens hv a '’ine. or. u- some say. by a spider's 1 bread, in search of hi., vanished v lie. I ho* heart of the tree, ns sec n liy the Afaori eve. shows Tawliaki in G e net of ascending to the sky."