NATURE—AND MAN

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 12263, 26 May 1934, Page 10

NATURE—AND MAN

reward of PERSEVERANCE.

SANCTUARY IN THE SOUTH.

(Edited In Leo Fanning.)

The recent gazetting of Oic Auckland Islands (a group about 20( f mite to tho south-west oj Stewart ,S,an ? ) o.htton .a servation ox biicis .urn » tribute to the persistence of New Zealand Bird (and ForesA Ir - lection Society. As far back as 19£ the society was' battling hard foi that purpose. The islands a . irC a. of about 116.000 acres—weio then leased to graziers at £4O a year —about 15s -a week—which was, o. course a mistake. In a letter of August 15. 1925, to the Minister of Lands. Captain Sanderson (the founder of the society) remarked: “Wo believe you null entirely agree with ns when wo aay the leasing of these wonderful inlands for a paltry £4O per annum is a blot on- our past administration, an insult to our National Spirit, a hurt to our pariotism and a shir on the dignitv and fair name of New Zealand:. ' Mere the full facts widely known they would raise such indignation as to lower the prestige of democratic administration. Enough needless damage has been done to tjie beauties of New Zealand in the past and ft is surely time to call a bait and leave the most wonderful place of all intact.” When the pastoral licences expired recently, the Department of Lands and Survey decided, creditably, that it- would not seek an illusory revenue of a few shillings a week at the risk of extinction of very interesting birds (some of which arc very rare) and plants.

AGITATING FOR DEER,

Some stalking <! die-hards” are still hoping that the Government and people or N;*w Zealand will be foolish enough to permit preservation <>x destructive deer in clxe forests, to ensure some thrills for shootists. An official organ of Gun Clubs and Acclimatisation Societies remarks: ■ “Unless doer-stalkers organise, the sport of deer-stalkim-.- is doomed. D all lovers of deer-stalking were organised, we would soon, show those in authority .that our wishes must bo obeyed.” What would they dor Would they stalk the Governmentt Would they brandish guns at the general public? What is the proportion of door-stalkers Hi the total population of 1,500,000? Probably less than a- tenth, of one per cent. Talk about the tail wagging the dog!

“Those in authority” know well that they have behind them the big voting -strength of the whole countiy. The Government knows that it i s much more important to preserve forests (which insure the welfare ot food-producing lands) than to have licensed gun-play or a lew -stalkers.

Stalkers ask tor '•'control’’ of deer, but there* is only one safe policy—extermination. If a smouldering lire was observed in a lorest, the authorities would not be content with “control.” They would strive lor extinction of the menace. Doctors do not aim at “control” of deadly germs of disease, but at annihilation. Not many decades ago, Now Zealand had only n i’ew pairs of deer, but now the native forests are cursed with hundreds of thousands of the pesis. That is the appalling result of “control” in the past.

HENJIY FORD—NATURE-LOViER

Probably the average New Zealander would regard Henry Ford as only a keen, successful business-man, but in his book, “My Life and Work/’ he shows that he has interests far above mere money-making.

“I like birds,” he wirote. “I like the outdoors. 1 like to walk across country and jump fences. W T e have five hundred bird houses on the farm. We call them out bird hotels, and one of them, the Hotel Poutchartrain—a. martin house —lias . 7U apartments. All winter long we .have wire 'baskets of food hanging about on the trees and then there is a big basin in which the water is kept 0 X. freezing by electricity. Summer and winter, food, drink, and shelter are on hand for the birds. Wc have hatched pheasants and quail m incubators and then turned them over to electric brooders. We have all kinds of bird houses and nests. The sparrows, who are great abusers of hospitality, insist that their'nests be immovable—that they do not sway in the wind. Tlio wrens liked thft idea and the sparrows did not; so wo have been able to have the wrens nest in peace. In summer we leave cherries 011 the trees and strawberries open in the beds, and 1 think that wo have not only more hut also more different xtinds ot bird callers than anywhere else in the northern states. John Burroughs said he thought we had, and one day when ho was staying at our place he c-amo across a bird that he had never seen before. About .ten years ago we imported a num-

her of birds from abroad—yellowhammers, chaffinches, green finches, bullfinches, jays, linnets, larks —some 500 of them. They stayed around

for a while, but- where they are now I do not know. I shall not import any more. Biyds wire cntijtiedj to live where they want 'to' live.

“Birds are the best of companions. We need them for their beauty and their companionship, and also wo need them for the strictly economic reason that they destroy the harmful insects. The only time t ever used the Ford organisation to influence legislation was on behair of the birds, and I think the end justified the means.”

YOUNG BIRD-LOVERS.

The recent competition among school children, who were invited t° write their observations of the habits oT native birds, produced some pleasant little chronicles. Here is one, written by Leone Cameron, ot Levin, who wa.s, awarded second prize in the girl’ section:— "The pale shadows of twilight were softly powdering the branches ot the taller forest trees, and every living thing seemed enthralled with the vision it had just witnessed of the great sun, in nil it s radiant splendour, wishing a last good-night. For not-, a sound disturbed tile- silence —a silence which, nevertheless, could be felt, pulsating with restrained vitality.

“Suddenly, as if the lid had been removed from a casket filled to excess, a wild rush of melody was trilled forth from multitudinous little throats, and the air was tilled with harmony so exquisite that the vei-y muses would have paused to listen. Each note was perfectly sounded, and the resulting music was as varied as it wag beautiful. The higher notes rippled ecstatically, while the deeper ones resembled the distant chimes of tiny bells. “At that moment one of the little songsters made jiis appearance. He was mainly of a tawny yellow colouring. But hi s wings and tail were a brownish black, while his head was tinged with steel black. He was not at all shy. and ventured quite close to us. It was then, that I noticed his eyes! They were dartbig curiously from side to side, and glowing like- beautiful truhios- —bloodred in coloin-!

‘‘This, then, xras my first sight ot the native bell-bird, and the lofty Tararuas made a fitting playground for .his gay existence. "‘The bell-bird is an inveterate honey-eater, both bold and tame, spending hours at a time on tho warm summer days sipping the nectar from the blooms of the native plants uttering his jubilant songs. But in the winter it i-s a different matter and our little feathered friend must seek the warmer valleys of the bush and subsist a.s best lie can on insects until once more he i, s enabled to welcome the spring. Then, on through the warm sunny days he enjoys himself—swinging on and clinging to the great nectar-filled blooms of the Jeowhai.”