NATURE—AND MAN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 28 April 1934, Page 8

NATURE—AND MAN

REWARD OF PERSEVERANCE SANCTUARY IN THE SOUTH (Edited by Leo Fanning)

Tin; recent gazetting of the Auckland Islands (a group about' 200 miles to the south-west of Stewart Island) as a. sanctuary for the preservation of birds and vegetation is a tribute to the persistence of the New Zealand Biid (and Forest) Protection Society. As far back as 1925 the society was battling hard for that purpose. The islands—a total area, of about 110,000 acres —were then leased to graziers for CIO a year —about 15s a week—which was, of course, a mistake. In a letter of loth August, 1025, to the Minister of Lands, Captain Sanderson (the founder of the society) remarked: ‘AVe believe you will entirely agree with us when we say the leasing of these wonderful islands for a paltry CIO per annum is a- blot on our past administration, an insult to our national spirit, a hurt to our patriotism and a. slur on the dignity and fair name of New Zealand. Were the full facts widely known they would raise such indignation as to lower the prestige of democratic administration. Enough needless damage has been done to the beauties of New Zealand in the past and it is surely time to call a halt and leave the most wonderful place of all intact.’’ When the pastoral licenses expired recently, the Department of Lands and Survey deeided, creditably, that it would not seek an illusory revenue of a. few shillings a week at the risk of extinction of very interesting birds (some of which aro very rare) and plants.

AGITATING FOR DEEII

Some stalking “die-hards” are still hoping that the Government and people of New Zealand will lie foolish enough to permit preservation of destructive deer in the forests, to ensure some thrills for shootists. An oflieial organ of gun clubs and acclimatisation societies remarks: “Unless deer-stalk-ers organise, the sport of doer-stalking is doomed. If all lovers of deer-stalk-ing were organised, we would soon show those in authority that our wishes must be obeyed.” What would they do? Would they stalk the Government? Would they brandish guns at the general public? Wiiat is the proportion of deer-stalkers in the total population of 1,500,000? Probably less than a tenth of 1 per cent. Talk about the tail wagging the dog! “Those in authority” know well that they have behind them the big voting strength of the whole country. The Government knows that it is much more important to preserve forests (which insure the welfare of foodproducing lands) than to have licensed gun-play for a few stalkers. Stalkers ask for “control” of deer, but there is only one safe policy—extermination. If a smouldering lire was observed in a forest, the authorities would not be content with “control.” They would strive for extinction of the menace. Doctors do not aim at “control” of deadly germs of disease, but at annihilation. Not many decades ago. New Zealand had only a few pairs of deer, blit now the native forests are cursed with hundreds of thousands of the pests. That is the appalling result of “control” in the past.

HENRY FORD—NATURE LOVER

Probably the average New Zealander would regard Henry Ford as only a keen, successful business man, but in his book “My Life and Work” lie shows that lie lias interests far above mere money-making. “I like birds,” he wrote. “I like the outdoors. I like to walk across country and jump fences. We have live hundred bird houses on the farm. We call them our bird hotels, and one of them, the Hotel Pontehartrain —a martin house—lias seventy-six apartments. All winter long we have wire baskets of food hanging about on the trees and then there is a big basin in which the water is kept from freezing by an electric heater. Summer and winter, food, drink, and shelter are on hand for the birds. We liave hatched pheasants and quail in incubators and then turned them over to electric brooders. We have all kinds of bird houses and nests. 'The sparrows, who are great abusers of hospitality, insist that their nests be immovable — that they do not sway in the wind. The wrens like swaying nests. . Sp we mounted a number of wren boxes oil strips of .spring steel so that they would sway in the wind. The wrens liked the idea and the sparrows did not; so we have been able to have the wrens nest in peace. In summer we leave cherries on the trees and strawberries open in the beds, and I think that lie have not only more but also mord diil’erent kidds of bird callers than anywhere else in the northern States. John Burroughs said he thought we had, and one (lay when he was staying at our place lie came across a bird that he had never seen before. About ten years ago we imported a number of birds from abroad ; —yellow-hammers, challijiichcs, green finches, bull (inches, jays, linnets, larks —some live hundred of them. They stayed around for a while, but where they are now I do not know. I shall not import any more. Birds are entitled to live where they want to live. “Birds are the best of companions. We need them for their beauty and their companionship, and also we need them for the strictly economic reason that they destroy the, harmful insects. The only time 1 ever used the Ford organisation to influence legislation was on behalf of the birds, and I think the end justified the means.”

YOUNG BIRD-LOVERS

The recent competition anion" school children, who were invited to write their observations of t lie habits of native birds, produced some pleasant little chronicles. Here is one, written by Leone Cameron, of Levin, who was awarded second prize in the girls’ section- - pale shadows of twilight were softly powdering the branches of the taller forest trees, and every living thing seemed enthralled with the vision it had just witnessed of the great sun, in all its radiant splendour, wishing a last goodnight. For not a sound disturbed the silence —a silence which, nevertheless, could be felt pulsating with restrained vitality. “Suddenly, as if the lid had been removed from a casket filled to excess, a wild rush of melody was trilled forth from multitudinous little- throats, and I In l air was filled with harmony so exquisite that the very muses would have paused to listen. Knell note was perfectly sounded, and the resulting music was as varied as it was beautiful. The higher notes rippled ecstatically, while 'he deeper ones resembled the distant chimes of t inv bells. “,.\t that moment, one of the little songsters made his appearance. He was mainly of a Lawny yellow col-

ouring, lint liis wings and tail were a brownish Mark, while his head was tinned with steel black. Tie was not at all shy. and ventured quite close to us. It was then, that I noticed his eyes! They were darting curiously from side to side, and glowing like beautiful rubies—blood-red in colour! “This, then, was my first sight of the native l bell-bird ami the lofty Tarttruas made a fitting playground for liis gay existence. "The bell-bird is an inveterate honev-eater. both bold and tame, spending hours at it time on the warm summer days sipping the nectar- from the blooms of the native plants and uttering his jubilant songs. But in the winter it is a different matter and our little feathered friend must seek the warmer valleys of the bush and subsist its best he can on insects until once more he is enabled to welcome the spring. Then, on through the warm sunny days lie enjoys hintself—swinging on and clinging to the great nectar-tilled blooms of the kowhai." .!