SNARING MUTTON BIRDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13796, 8 July 1908, Page 11

SNARING MUTTON BIRDS.

v- AN ANCIENT MAORI;CUSTOM,,- -". BiBD-SNAKtNCf, or mutton-biiJing, is/a. snr* vWal of ancient Maori .custom. (sa^s^theF Otago Daily Times)! It combines profit 1 with retime, and to that,,fact ituJfc J -aQ£ doubt indebted for its continuity.: ieing,:. ' recurrent, it'm'akes'a welcome break on th*,,* [ . monotony of life, with tSe-ff '; of a needful' supply of ready;c^b, : iii Vhielij--members of the" papa or; household piirticiv;;:'; pate 'individually. The current) year's [ . operations! have only just ended J,and in, /re-., lathm thereto the- following particuiarß- a*6ji adduced: —In round Tautober* 100,000 bird's-; i .; have-been trapped, which current ■ rateSJv are worthed each, or, say, a total of £1660. Adults engaged work are,,set doi'i|:J at 100, or, including- -omen and uUi-j. / 400— latter ranging fromlj..baby in upwards. The length of the season iuav,\. according to the weather, be anything from,. -""* sir to 10 weeks Eight jg'-ibouf an aver-. '. J r. w -. a^ j age. Allocating the lOregcißg on a uniform basis we get a sum of £16 to'each . •[ family. Out of that'iJL oi.« so has "to 'bV.' ; : / taken for conveyance to and fidm'th'e island, ?■ and say, another £1 per head for victuals,'" , Altogether they make fern £12 to £14. '/ clear profit, after defraying incidental ex- . penses. Each family party, or papu, has: •got its own island, or, in the »oita : . islands, its separate. allotment. .;- hold by traditionary'.right, title, and?in-~ 'terest,: and such a thing as poaching is "Sot; V; permissible. - ■ ? , , V Somuch for the bird-hunters. I'Ue h:\.<xi themselves are even more interesting.'.-They. -S.;-; burrow in the ground'like rabbits. __ The .• burrows ' are long or short.. according ,to the nature of *ie soil. .In soft, sandy.:*/ : ground they go in a considerable; distance. ■* ; It is necessary to handle these'•:burrows■..'•'-<. carefully. The parent birds; return, seasou -[ ; after season, to the previous; year roost; r . but if it is tampered with—left open rand • exposed to wind and: weather—th/ay leave v it severely alone and betako themselves, to other quarters. '' The loss falls on the negligent snarer, and if persisted in his ground will eventually be left desolate. The birds, return to their breeding jfrounds in the month of September. The first thing they , do is to clean out and resast . the nests ~ [ They are scrupulously careful in;' that respect. ... If damp,has accumulated- -inside ■■■ they are off "like a shot:" The fact that :> they return to their [ previous . year's, ne*t ■[•[.; Is certified. in a variety of ways. .The most: . conclusive is that a pair of - pure "white birds are noted to have.occupied tho same nest foryeara past, and siill continue to do so. The eggs are laid punctually to the day, on November 25. No divergence.; either before or after that particular date. r :. : ' ,is experienced. It makes jather an ejetia-- - ordinary trait; in bird [,life,' but 'so ]■ far j ,as )V , % the mutton-birders are: concerned: it:is'-',;[ plicitly relied, on. They say that', they ;;.■.' have examined the nests on the 24th' with-; out, finding a single egg, whereas ; on.'the ■ day • following they found wery nest con- " tainuig its full quota. One month's incuba- . tion ensues, and,; say, on or about Decern-;;;. ; i ber'2s, the. young fledgling is hatched. From thence; until „.' about ihe/jtaiddie; of [' April the young birdreinaijis[in the nest, ';, > strictly secluded. ' Meantinw the parents en-' . ter i;i>on a festive season, v Every; morning,';'j an hour or so before daybreak,-they flock ■'■' off to sea, returning again about nightfall, : gorged with food. •, :In • April ,the young : birds venture out into the'open. There- - upon the old birds set- out* for their winter - ' quarters, leaving the reason's offspring to be dealt with by the Maori. * ' . : . ■>:-< '/ •-••/ •-■/;, ■ '.-'•-/; '■ ' .'.".■' .."'"-..■' " ! . .-' r ■■' ..--" *-r'.