IN TOUCH WITH NATURE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 120, 19 May 1909, Page 3

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE.

NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY IN NEW ZEALAND. (By James Drummond, F.L.S., ~., F.Z^S.) Professor Benham, Curator of the Otago Museum, writes;. —"Your correspondent, Mr F. M. Burtt, wishes to know whether blackbirds are guided by sound in feeding on Avorms. There is no doubt that this. is the case. Earthworms live in their, burrows with their heads just outside, or close below the entrance, that is, near the soil. They perceive the presence of the bird, and commence to move down the burrow.. This causes a slight sound, similar to, though of course ever so much less than, that caused by drawing a, stick out of stiff, muddy soil, a sort of dull swish. But birds are very quick of hearing, and this is sufficient to attract their1 attention, hence the sudden dart towards the spot. Further, their sight is -keen, and, having heard the movement, they may be able sometimes to see the head of the worm before it is fully withdrawn into the burrow. Their power of

smelling is practically nil, except omy the kiwi, which appears to find out its food by smell."

A North Canterbury correspondent ,has given up a good deal of time during the past summer to observations of the habits of the mason wasp. He says that the insect is not at all particular in regard to the site of its nest. It will build in almost any nook where it can get away from the damp, under the eaves of a house, on the lee-side of a chimney, on the inner side of weather-boards, and even in the folds of an oilskin coat hanging in a wash-house.' It erects the walls of its house first, and then puts on the top, making'a neat little clay house about three-quarters ot an inch long and half an inch wide. One end of the house is left opep. The busy insect then brings a spider, which, to all appearances, is dead. It pushes the spider into the hole, and presses it tightly against one of the walls-. It then addresses the spicier in a loud voice, as if it intended to say, "Now, don't you move until I come back." It flies away, but returns with another spider, which is treated in the same way. More spiders are captured, until the cell is full of spiders, packed closely together. One or two eggs are then* laid amongst the spiders, and, with many words of warning to the prisoners, the cell is sealed up. Another cell is constructed, on the same plan, and another and another, until there are about six.

The eggs arc- soon hatched, but it is a month or more before all the spiders are consumed. Then a cocoon is spun, and the chrysalis appears, and in the following spring the perfect fly emerges from the cell, and comes oivt into the world.' The correspondent states that fertilisation takes place as soon as the fly emerge^ from 'the cell, before it has even stretched its wings. The spiders remain i'resh, and have all the appearance of being alive, until, they are consumed. The correspondent is rather puzzled, by this fact. A spider which Mvas taken out of a cell, and was examined under a strong glass, did not seem to have any life in it. On the other hand, ips legs- and body were not stiffened as if it were dead. The correspondent suggests that the spiders are paralysed by the insect's sting, or, as,an alternative', that they are mesmerised by its voice, which is very- loud and clear when it seems to be addressing its victims.

Mrs ElsdoiV Best has forwarded some notes on the second growth in forest clearings. He says:—-"The second growth of trees that springs up in a forest clearing is termed Waipapa' and 'Waihouheu' among the Tuhoe' tribe. ' Such growth consists principally of mako (Aristotelia racemosa), and the kotukutuku, or native fuchsia./ .A' few other species are found, such as ■■ puahou (Panax arboreum), karamuramu (Coprosma robnsta), Toi (Cordyline indivisa, tikapu (CordylhiG banksii), and soon; but these are- few and scattered. Ihe two first-named species pracbioahy monopolist that clearing. It matters not where the clearing is , niade, though far in the forest depths, where the mako obtains not, it will appear as second growth in a clearing. The young plants spring up m 'myriads,-and'grow, rapidly; m four or five years 'clearing' is a misnomer for that spot; it is a thicket of mako saplings racing skyward. Then tent poles are numerous." .. He seeks for the cause of .this. "The local species of forest trees and shrubs," he says, "surround that clearing and formerly occupied ; the spot itself, for a few thousand.years doubtless. ' Their berries and seeds have fallen earthward; why do they not germinate in the clearing? You may walk for miles through the surrounding forest without seeing any mako- Bushmen say that the seeds are carried by birds, end that they do not germinate unless a clearing is made. At my present camp the mako is very scarce, save where I have felled bush to make a horse paddock. In that clearing it has sprung up in myriads. Each, year I "cut or pull up about 739,543 young mako, otherwise the grass would be choked' out of, existence. Should the above statement be objected to, I am willing to drop the odd three. Back in Michigan, we found that clearings made in a pine forest were soon covered with a growth of poplar and wild

raspberry; you would not see poplar in a pine forest. The local tohungas of the Michiganders claimed that blue jays carried the seeds.' Soma state that the seeds lie dormant and are caused to. germinate by light •of sun. Quite so. In the redwoods of California, wjien the huge redwoods were logged off, then the stumps sent up a number of second-growth shoots in many cases, thus in years to come forming such a grove of dense growth Wild blackberry also took possession of much logged ground. When the road was formed over the Tau-mata-miere range, young ti-kapu (Cordyline banksii) sprang up on the cleared line in myriads, as well as mako. Again I ask, why this thusness? Is it Nature's 'change of crops'?"

Mr J. Lindley, of Mount Roskill Auckland, states that ,a short time ago he saw several Australian, magl>ies at Wharehine, in the district, and on making .mqufries amongst the old settlers, he was told that 'the birds had made their appearance 12 or 13 years ago. For many years they remained during the summer months only, but forthe past three or four years they have remained all through the year. ~; They are breeding there. Mr Lindley,, in fact, saw some half-grown ; young birds flying about with the old ones. .'The magpie seems to be much more plentiful in the North Island than m the South Island. As far as information supplied by correspondents shows, it is a useful immigrant to New Zealand. It was first liberated at Dunedin 64 years ago, and it is now found in ;J0 or 4.0 districts. In most of them it thrives well, and is welcomed by the farmer. ' Another correspondent tells me that many ; years ago a pair of magpies cam© over to Straamlancls, in the Rodney County, from the island of Kawau, which Was then owned by Sir George. Grey. / They rested in. a kauri tree, about a hundred yards from a settler's house, and from that point they spread throughout the whole country. Now, however, for some' unexplained, cause, they have disappeared from Streamlands. , '

A characteristic weka story is told by Mr W. M. D. Homes, of Albany. He was once camped near Manaliau, where wekas/ are- represented' in fairly large numbers, and he made the acquaintance of a female that had a nest not far from hiswhar^e. "By degrees her. confidence increased,- and, she woiild pick up bread thrown to her. She usually, took three pieces at ' one time, and it was intensely amusing to watch her making frantic jabs in order to get a-fourth piece into her beak. She often lost' a piece she had already secured. On one occasion she secured in triumph a small saucer of sopped bread.1 The food was too soft to be taken piecemeal, so she took the saucer containing the lot and was making off, but my shout of amusement and astonishment rather disconcerted her, and- caused her to drop it. I was sorry, as I would have liked to see her take it all; the way." ': - : - ...