OPOSSUM FOOD

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1940, Page 8

OPOSSUM FOOD

POSSIBLE BIRD MENACE WELLINGTON, Sept. 10. < The question has been debated among naturalists -and bi/i'd-lovers whether the food of opossums is confined to the leaves and shoots of native trees, or whether they have an occasional appetite for small birds and their eggs; Further material was provided for the controversy in a reference to the feeding habits of opossums made by tlie Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry. A report from the ranger of the Egmont National Park, Taranaki, Mr N. P. Gibson, ,seemed to make it clear that the opossum did not confine his food to leaves, shoots and other vegetable matter of the bush, said the Minister. “I have opened quite a number of opossums,” wrote Mr Gibson, “and my discovery of their contents was as follows: —Two contained .portions' of fresh-water crayfish, one had a large portion of a ratskiil, with forefeel still distinguishable, three had feathers of small birds, and one of these bad the feathers of a whitehead. They all contained a good quantity of the shoots of the Nothcipanax variety of scrub, and, as this scrub is about one-sixth of the whole of Egmont National Park scrub, one can easily see how serious opossums may become if not consistently trapped.” The Minister said the revelation of tlie ranger would cause further investigations to be made. “I hope we will not definitely find in the opossum,” Mi- Parry added, “a further menace to our native birds.”