NATURE- AND MAN

Northern Advocate, 16 September 1932, Page 2

NATURE- AND MAN

CALL OP THE FOREST. SOME PLAYFUL PARROTS. (Edited by Leo Fannins;.) Her never the fever-mist shrouding, Nor drought of tin* .desert may blight, Xor pall of dim smoke overloading, Vast cities of clamorous night, But the voice of abundance of waters, Cold rivers that stay not to sleep, Greets children, the sons and the daughters Of light and the deep. —From “New Zealand” by William Pember Reeves. The late Mr Reeves, a brilliant New Zealander, warmly loved the evergreen forest of his native land. “Though no great traveller,” he wrote, “I have seen beautiful landscapes in fourteen or fifteen countries, and yet hold to it that certain views of our forest, spreading round lake and over hills and valleys, peaceful and unspoiled, are sights as lovely as are to be found. Whence comes their complete beauty? Of course, there are the fine contours of mountain and vale, cliff and shore. And the abundance of water, swirling in torrents, leaping in waterfalls, or winding in lakes or sea-gulfs, aids greatly. But to me the magic of the forest —I speak of it where you find it still unspoiled—comes first from its prodigal life and continual variety.” Of course, the average Now Zealander has some pride in his country’s forests, but does he know the worth of it, as national wealth? Occasionally it requires a visitor from another country to remind us of the tourist value of marvellous wooded hills and valleys which are warmly admired by travellers from the British Isles, Europe, America and Australia. Here is a remark of Lord Burnham (head of the British Press Delegation which visited New Zealand a. few years ago) after a drive through a valley flanked by a ferny forest: — “What particularly struck me was the exquisite beauty of the " verdure of the forest and the limpid blue of the streams and rivers.” A distinguished scientist, Dr. Johannes Schmidt, was deeply impressed by the splendour of the woodlands. “In the native forests alone,” .he said, “New Zealand has a heritage to bo treasured. Preserve what you can for the admiration of visitors like myself, and for the perpetual enjoyment of your own sons and daughters; and in preserving the forests you will also assist in preserving your wonderful bird life. Your fern beauty is unrivalled.” Nearly every town of New Zealand is within easy reach, of a stand of native forest. The people of every town should appoint themselves honorary custodians of a suitable scenic woodland. The Comical Kea. New Zealand’s kea is one of the most amusing birds in the world, as its scientific name, Nestor notabilis, indicates. Some years ago Mr Edgar Stead, a zealous student of bird life, had some of these parrots in a large aviary. He invited me to observe their antics —and I was truly astonished by the quaiutness of their capers. He had placed two or three large pieces of drain pipe and other obstacles on the grass}: ground for the keas’ fun-making, and they did not disappoint us. They chased one another through the pipes and under and over other things jusfi as frolicsome school boys would do, and they varied their play remarkably. Suddenly they would become very sedate, and sit solemnly on the branches of a tree, as if meditating fresh drollery. During one of these lulls, Mr Stead reminded me to look out for a domestic drama. He pointed to a young Mr Kea, a very handsome chap, making love to a very pretty Miss Kea, who seemed pleased with the frisky advances. In the background was Airs Kea, a rather old hen, with whom young Air Kea had been previously mated. 'She was angrily watching the flirtatious pair. At last she made a quick swoop, buffeted Al,iss Kea. from the perch, and took her place beside her fickle spouse. He sat crestfallen, in evident ape of his stern mate. He was eager to be off, but -was afraid to budge. However, the comedy would repeat itself, Inter on, so Air Stead said. *

The Friendly Kakapo. Probably no other country lias a more likeable bird than New Zealand’s ‘‘ground parrot,” known as the -.kakapo, which helps the Dominion to maintain its reputation as a .country of distinctive birds. Here is a parrot of brilliant plumage—mossgreen enriched with flecks and spangles of gold, with warm brown markings on the back and wings—a splash of colouring which should be flashing in the sunlight, but the kakapo is a night rover, to which the gorgeous raiment serves no purpose, useful or ornamental, in the darkness of forests. The; bird lias largo wings, well proyiortioned to the si/.e of its sturdy body, larger than the Australian cockatoo’s, but the wing muscles are weak, and the kakapo has not enough power of flight to escape from the hunter’s dog. ‘‘Though it is a. parrot, I have never known the kakapo to learn to talk,” remarks one nature-lover. ‘‘lts

brilliant intellect works in other directions entirely, for it never tires of learning new and difficult tricks. In fact, it demands special attention from one whom it makes a friend. A kakapo in a bush camp is the life and soul of the lonely habitation, and the wonderful ■ and original tricks performed by this entertainer are beyond description. On one occasion, when exploring - the heights of that wonderful rugged cape, located at the mouth of the Waitaha Hiver, in Westland, known as Bold Head, ray party came upon a large male kakapo basking in the warm sand. It was [ captured after short chase, and although it set up a defence, it was perfectly subdued within an hour, and began to play with its captors —something in the nature of cat. ’s play. During the three days it was kept in camp, it was persistently looking for excitement and play. The bird is usually referred to by the back-coun-try settlers as the 'ground parrot,’ but, being a- splendid climber, it frequently finds its way into the tops of the medium-sized shrubs and trees.. When climbing, much use is made of the powerful beak; a half right and left method is adopted.” The food of this quaint bird consists of grasses, berries, seeds and .loaves. After a good meal in the night and early hours of the morning, it retires to its secluded restingplace, where the daylight hours arn usually spent.