IN TOUBH WITH NATURE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 113, 11 May 1909, Page 6

IN TOUBH WITH NATURE.

NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY

IN NEW ZEALAND

(By James Dnimmond, F.L.S., F.Z.S.)

The "morepork" owl has a good friend in Mr 11. Marsh, of Pine Island, Axickland province. He takes exception to the notes on owls published in this column on March 13, and he supplies a eulogy of the "morepork," and points out some of its good qualities. He has hardly grasped the object of the previous notes, which were intended to show that, although owls generally are regarded as birds of ill-omen, the "morepork," apart from its boding cry, has done nothing to bring itself into disfavour. "I have listened to the music of our steadfast friend the 'morepork' for fifty years," he says, "and the song of no other bird gives me half the satisfaction. It,is 'hooting, laughing in the forest,' indeed, to the inestimable benefit of every settler. By the destruction of rats and mice, this bird has become of incalculable benefit to farmers. I would make it a criminal offence to injure or destroy a 'morepork.' It certainly wages war upon small birds, but opinions differ as to the benefit or otherwise of its operations in that respect."

" I remember having seen an extraordinary encounter between a 'morepork' and a kingfisher," he adds. "It is hardly correct to say that I actually saw the affair; but early one morning, at the root of a tree, on the Wa.de River, about thirty years ago, I picked up a 'morepork' and a kingfisher locked in a deadly embrace. They were both dead, but they had died only a few minutes before I found them. Apparently, the kingfisher was on a perch when the 'morepork' attacked him. The 'morepork' had him in a murderous clasp, both claws being in his breast and round his back. The kingfisher must have met the onslaught with his bill held out rigidly like a bayonet, as it had gone right through the owl's head, entering by one eye and coming out by the other, and protruding for half an inch. I regret that I did not have the birds stuffed in the striking position in which I found them after the fatal encounter."

A sportsman at the Thames, Auckland, has a word to say in regard to the 'morepcrk.' He is very angry with the Otago Acclimatisation Society for having introduced the little grey owls from Europe to deal with, the small birds in this Dominion. He believes that it is another item in the long list of mistakes made- in connection with acclimatisation operations. He says that these owl 3 are not likely to discriminate between obnoxious English birds and New Zealand's beautiful native birds. Whatever small bird the owl sees first he will appropriate for. his meal, and the victim is just as likely to be a fantail, a tom-tit or a, robin-asa sparrow or any >Jther English bird. Nearly all-native-birds are strictly protected from the attacks of Jinman being 3, but there'is 'no' .means oc protecting "them against these owls, which' he classes with stoats and weasels, "and goodness knows what other vermin." He then sings the praise of the "morepork," which he describes as a "good little bird," which eats rats and mice, but not small native birds, and which, he says, is worth scores of imported owls.

Mr R. M'Nab, Minister of Lands and y Agriculture in the last Parliament, has told me that some native birds aro found in large numbers amongst foreign trees. He .has carried out extensive forest-planting operations at his Knapdale -Estate,

near Gore, Southland, and he has noted the appearance there of large numbers of several species of native birds,' notably torn-tits, fantails, silver-eyes, wrens and the two migratory cuckoos. They seems to like the pine and other trees that have sprung up, and, apparently, they take as much, delight in the shelter of those trees as in the shelter of the flora of their native land. The fantails and torn-tits, of course, are very friendly with the human residents: The tits, frequently fly into the house. One, especially, makes itself at home inside, flitting about and often resting for a time on the typewriter. The observation is an important one, as it shows that at least a few species of the native avifauna do.not depend entirely on native trees, and that native birds are likely, to be attractfed by introduced trees. 'Within historical times, there' has never been any native bush near Knapdale. Mr M'Nab states that he recollects, when a boy, being taken out to see a white heron which had arrived at the homestead. One of its wings had been broken. The visitor was treated as an invalid, and was fed and cared for, and the injured limb was tied up. As soon as the bird had recovered, it went away, but regularly, for years afterwards, .it returned to the homestead at one season of the year, as if it wished to show its gratitude for the treatment it had received.

Mr C. A. Coppins, of Ponsonby, Auckland, states that he is acquainted with the cricket pihareinga, which has been described by Archdeacon Grace and Mr C. W. Adams. When he was a boy in Maryborough, he hunted these creatures in their hiding places, under stones. He was in both Nelson and Marlborough since Mr Adams was Commissioner of Crown Lands in the latter district,

and lie says that the crickets are quite as plentiful there now as they were in former times, referred to by Mr Adams. Mr Coppins has frequently heard them singing in the open spaces about Auckland city. A few evenings ago, when he was standing in a shop in Queen Street, ho ! was surprised to see a cricket hop in. IHe infers from this that they are j very plentiful in the Auckland proI vince. Be has been told that they are vei-y destructive to clothing, but he has not obtained any evidence in support of the indictment against these early settlers in the Dominion.