NATURE NOTES

Grey River Argus, 1 March 1945, Page 2

NATURE NOTES

Owl at Sunday-school —Maori children going to Sunday-school, one morning were surprised to find a laughing owl in possession of the schoolroom, states a writer in “Forest and Bird.” The previous night ia meeting had been held there and the door left open. The bird presumably entered through the door in search of insects and remained there too late, being overtaken by daylight, during which it normally sleeps in crevices of rocks. Pukekohe Hill—Pukekohe Hill, long famed for its vegetables, is coming to be worked or rather eroded out, states a contributor to “Forest and Bird. 1 The washing away of the soil has been very serious and the effects are obvious to all. Yet the farmers still persist in cultivating up and down these steep slopes, contour PWhing being an unknown practice. Yeais a rt o fertile hillsides of China were cul tivated up and down the slopes, today these’ hillsides are barren wastes and silt from them gives the name “vellow” to the Yellow Rivet. Seagulls—Public statements recently appearing in the press stating that seagulls are not protected by law are erroneous, states the Forest and Bud Protection Society, and have led to illegal killing. Only one S u 1 th , e black-backed gull-is unproWed, and the penalty for killing others is 3 S'beffiiest-A bequest of £lOO has by the Forest and Bird Protection Society undei the will ol the late W. S. Smith,'tffSumnei, who was a life member of the Society.