NATURE STUDY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 October 1924, Page 16

NATURE STUDY.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (“Ilori.’’) s>c-vera 1 yea rs ago t liere was inaugurated in Hawera a l.iaut assJc.a tion. A good deal of enthusiasm was shown for a time, but owing to the. wm idle association ceased from activities An institution of* tins kind can do a great, amount of good in a town or c.tv provided the members are enthusiastic In the city of Christchurch thete lias been issued from flit- press the firs; volume of a well gat up little maou zine entitled “The City Beautiful!’ In a foreword the editor, Dr. 0, Chil ton, of Canterbury College, explains that the objects of the journal are not to be confined in any way to the big questions of public beautifying. It is the intention of the promoters that any subject, that will tend to make lift a brighter and sweeter thing for the citizens of Christchurch, jointly or in di virtually, shall be considered as within the aims of “ The City Beautiful. ’ ’ Christchurch lias had in the past mer. at the head of municipal affairs who have given much thought to the beautifying of their city, and favoured as it is with a natural stream of water running through the heart of the city has been responsible for a great deal of work, being accomplished. Even though the Avon is. only a small stream it is a wonderful beauty spot all along its grassy banks. Before the site of King Edward Park was decided upon there was a proposal brought forward to have the park established down near the Tawhiti stream, but the distance, from the town was considered by some to be a big handicap. It is a pity that this stream was not a bit nearer, as the possibilities of converting it into a beauty spot are very great indeed. There is a stretch of land lying to the southeast of the baeon factory that could hardly be surpassed as a site for a park. It is admirably sheltered by hills, and the Tawhiti runs through a portion of it. ; Dir.tnnce again seems to have been a handicap to the successful carrying out of the beautifying of TuruturuMokai. The exposed position of the land is also unfavourable for the planting of the high, land. The wind from all quarters sweeps across it, and a great deal of shelter would have to be groAvn before delicate trees c-ould be grown there. The planting of large reserves like Turuturu-Mokai is not the biggest- problem—it is the care necessary afterwards- for keeping the land clear so that the trees will flourish. Many trees in the above mentioned reserve after planting became overgrown -with the rank grass and died out in consequence. It is a big question if any thing - satisfactory is to be accomplished out there. At the last meeting of the. Hawera County Council it was reported that a new road was to be made through the Ohawe reserve. This had been considered the best plan owing to the fact that the old road has, in consequence of the gradual erosion of the sea, been brought into close proximity of the cl*ft's and therefore further work on it was considered undesirable. This question of erosion, -owing to the continual pounding of the fen against the cl.ft's, demonstrates how the coast line between Opunake and Patea is gradually being worn away by the force of the waves. Old residents who have resided An the district for forty or fifty years often speak of. the, great change that has been brought about by the forces of Nature in that time. The land abutting on the sea coast is of papa formation, and when heavy rain comes the. clay soil absorbs a great amount of water. This makes the top of the cliffs werv heavy, and the pounding of the sea at the bottom shakes it from its foundations. A very great, deal of damage was done some time back at the. mouth of the Waihi when Mr Campbell lest the whole of his electric light plant during a heavy rainfall. It is quite a, serious problem for settlers whore land abuts on the seashore, and there is no way of preventing it.

The papa formation at the seashore is not the only locality which is the cause of erosion. It *was mentioned at the. Eltham County Council at last meeting that there was a grave danger of a great landslide taking place in the Whenuakura Valley. The. Tongahoe Valley is another road that is very treacherous in winter and the Hawera County Council have to keep a man on this road continuously to attend to it. Sometimes large quantities of papa come tumbling down, and a blockage takes place, involving at times the engaging of an emergency gang. In the summer time, however, this road is easy of access and the clay formation becomes quite hard. To. look down upon it from the high land on the western .side gives a * delightful view. Running through a beautiful valley affords shelter for our native flora, and the many ferns, trees and creepers in which it is clothed lends added beautv to the situation.

Correspondence tins still been appearing in the Auckland papers regarding the introduction of grouse and the growing of heather in the Tongarirc National Fark. In the Auckland Star last week a correspondent remarks that it was for the purpose of providing sport that this heather and grouse business was first inaugurated. The intention was to make a replica of a Sects highlands. Personally lie had no objection to anyone making a. replica of a Soots highlands, nor can anyone reasonably object to heather and grouse. The point is that there was a native game sanctuary, and bv the introduction of these or other forms of exotic w'ld life it ceares to be such. If it is permissible to introduce these things here it will become permissible to introduce other things, not only here, but into each and all of our sanctuaries And if the destruction of these creatures is forbidden the consequence will prove fatal to what natural worth these nl.aces have. We have had lately, the correspondent adds, such an instance w-th the depredations of wild goats in kit. Egmont. Park. Let us appreciate and lie content with the beauties- that Nature has already provided—the lovelv eelmesias, veronicas, gentians, mistletoe. and myriads of .other plants unique in beauty. The sombre grey and silence are misnomers, in the one there is beauty, and in the other music, nor can the glories of the sunrise and sunset be made more beautiful bv virvirtue of purple heather.

Accord ng to a telegraphic message from Wellington. • this week weasels and stoats are reported to be killing lambs at Waimarino in the Auckland district one farmer having reported the loss of

23 lambs found, dead in one morning. It is quite possible that these vermin are' the culprits, for eveiy where in New Zealand they appear to be on the increase. In our own districts. reports come to hand occasionally of the animals being seen. They are reported to feed on the eggs and young of birds at this time of the. year, and the cause of the extinction of the imported game Is largely due to their depredations. In trodueed into the Dominion, as a destroyer of the rabbit pest they proved a failure, and have turned out a costly , mistake. A local res.dent had a cat that caught on several occasions weasels and brought them home in truimph. It will also be- remembered that a whole family of stoats were caught in a fowl run of a Hawera townsman. They were sent to a taxidfcrnijst and stuffed and mounted, and now form part of the interesting collection of the Hawera Acclimatisation Society. Wli.ist -ii the Mangoihe Valley, midvay l et ween xb.etihi and Pipirilci, recently, ;Vlr H. J. Dmgan noted that the sinning cuckoo, or iTpiwarauroa, had already arrived in New Zealand from -\ew Guinea, and 1-, orthern Queensland, and numbers of these birds, were seen, also n.akomakos or bellbirds. The grey Warbler or Siinriro were, also very plent ful. These b.rds are the foster parents of the young of the shining cuckoo (says the Wanganui Herald). -Mr Duigaii stated l.e d.d not see any blue wattled crows (Koltakos), but they were usually met .with on the right bank of the Wanganui river in certain bush valleys. The shining cuckoo is known as the harbinger of spring, and generally arrives in New Zealand about the first week in October, whilst the long-tailed cuckoo (Kaweakawea) does not reach these shores from the • South Sea Islands until late November. A Palmerston man interested in native plant life, speaking to a Manawatu Times reporter, said that New Zealand has a genuine cotton plant, which grows freely near the sea coast in the far north, it is known to the natives as kaliakaha (to be strong), and to botanists as Astelia solandvik Placed upon a mantelpiece, a. well-grown pod has been known to open with the heat and throw out silky white threads five /feet long. Poss'blv if cultivated and improved the Forestry Department might produce something of commer clal value from it. An cel. five feet in length,' and 391 b. in weight, was wallowing in one of the poiius usually reserved for goldfish at the Christchurch Acclimatisation Society’s gardens the other day (states the Christchurch Press). He was brought in from the country, and he looked rather seedy before Mr. D. Hope placed him in the water. The “back lu Nature” treatment worked wonders amt after his huge head had, been gently massaged he began to wallow round the pond in the approved manner. A plaster cast of the monster, which has an immense girth, will probably be made for the museum. Mr \\’ r . Nve, of Foxton, has some{hing m the nature of a freak in bird life about his mill on the riverbank. For some, time past (says the Manawatu Daily. Times) 1 *vo starlings have frequented the precincts of the mill, and one lias a pture white tail feather and the other a white neck. The latter bird s not unlike a tui to look at, with its tuft of white. . t What with making slogans, selling surplus fruit, conciliating farmers assembled for their great annual grouch, and bird-nesting, Mr Clapp, Chief Commissioner‘of Railways,Victoria, is a busy man these days (says the Australasian). Obstinately scorning the trees which have been planted and preserved for their benefit, the magpies and starlings will persist in building their nests in the overhead wires of the suburban electric lines. Currents are being continually short circuited and trains stopped so that birds may make some provision for a posterity which, if born at all, is almost certain to be electrocuted in infancy. To all the usual .forms of railway persuasion the birds are deaf. You can “whistle down” a semaphore stick,, but not a starling. Just where a nest Was built on top The train came to a sudden stop, Man built the line; a bird the nest, Results now show who builded best. “All clear ahead,” the porter said, Then found he was shortcircuited. An educated magpie said The while it sagely shook its head, “These game laws merely make one cuss, l thought they were protecting us. ’Twere better birds were never born Than cut the current from Yallourn. So nesting in electric gear, !s not all skittles, cheese and beer-”; [ The bird remarked, “1 do my best, Vet nothing hatches in the nest; No wonder that we pine and fret When every egg's an omelette.” The centenary of the birth of Henri Fabre. “the insects’ Homer,” lias been commemorated at Serignan, a tiny.vib lage in bis native province of Hevault, where he lived and pursued his entomological studies for so many years. The climax was the handing oyer to the Ministry of Public Instruction of the scientist’s house and garden, which are to be preserved a 3 an entomological museum. “One. Thousand and One Anecdotes,” compiled by Mr Alfred 11. Miles (Hutchinson), includes this of Joan Agassiz, the famous Swiss-American naturalist: Agassiz was in the habit of keeping strange pets in strange places. One morning Mrs Agassiz arose and proceeded, according to custom, to put on her stockings and shoes. At a certain stage of this process a little scream attracted Mr Agassiz’s attention, and not having yet risen he leaned forward anxiously upon his elbow, inquiring what was the matter. “Why, a little f nake has just crawled out of rnv hoot!” she cried. “Only jone, my dear?’’ interrupted the professor, cnlm!v lving down again. “There should have been three.” He had put- them there to keep warm!

A traveller who lias recently returned from Hio forests of the Amazon givr-s an interesting description of a species of Amazon spider. He says they are creatures with Ion" legs, fat black bodies about the size of a young rat. These spiders make “trap doors” on the ground, beautifully camouflaged. and s.o perfectly balanced that they shut by their own weight. Beneath;, them are tunnels, cr pits, in which the monster spiders watch for their pr'ev. Another spider is spotted “like the parti. ” and spins a web quite a yard across. The strands of this huge web. suspended between two trees, are so strong and tough that if a small bird flics into them it is unable to escape before the arrival of the spider which makes short work of its struggles.