NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15521, 31 January 1914, Page 5 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

j ." BT-jiiES DSCMSIOKI), F.L.S., tf.Z.S. i An exceptionally- handsome manuka tree I grows close to the Summit Road, on , the,' . hills near Christchurch. It is about:nine feet high, and* is symmetrical in eh ape; and when in bloom it is one of the ornaments of that part of the hills. Just now; how-;: ever,- most; of its branches are bare of leaves, and it seems to have been the victim of some blighting '. .misfortune, which is sapping its life. . A few weeks ago, .a friend who...accompanied. Mr. H. G. ; Ell; M. P. ,. the road commented .on thecondition'of the ,tee. arid Mr. EH showed that it was brought about by swarms of beetles, which were busy devouring the. green leaves. . The insects. are- a .species of native cockchafer, Pyronota.- festiva. by name. They attack manuka . trees in different parts of the Dominion, and also do much damage to other plants. New Zealand's insects, like the native birds, are noted for their sombre colours, a peculiarity that has attracted the attention, of may scientists. But this cockchafer does its little best 'to make amends' for tha Dominion's shortcoming in this direction, and all who examine it will agree that it is fairly successful.- There is-a- good deal of difference in the colouration of in-' dividual?, but all are ' very ; ' brilliant. Usually, the' most prominent' colour-'" on top is a bright metallic greeny but yellow, gold, crimson ; and red stripe's are-seen, and, sometimes, opalescent' tints. 'It is' the only beetle in Canterbury that possessesgaudy colours. ' Many•years ago it was plentiful in the gardens and orchards of Christchurch, as we'll as of country districts, where it was the subject of many" complaints. It has powerful wings, .and flics rapidly, and on-a bright summer's day, may be seen in its hundreds cluster* ing around manuka trees or moving; abou£ on the branches. ■;■.'. •'. ■'• :• .•,■/,•>,'.>-!■»

A few months ago, reference xai'mader in this - column to the plant tlieJ c call ■ " Taiuui.'' ' Scientifically," it'"^Poma;-'.. derris apetala. It •is interesting • because; of its association with'a tradition that a specimen in the" Mokau ; district, in the North Island, sprang from -'-green timber used in the building of the Ta.mui, r a canoe which brought some' of 'Maori 1 immigrants to New,, Zealand between fiva hundred' and 'six hundred "years ago, This, plant is , strangely distributed.- -It'-has-never been .recorded ■■■ from- '-• the ~* South-' Island, and it is rare ''tKfr"^6rtb'<Tsland'; 4 but, it is found in'"Australia, and now.Mr. ,F.: A, ;D. Cox writes from thi.-.Caiathain,, Islands, stating-that he ha's seen the tree growing there. -It was at Mata&ateu, Ino.fc '.'■ far from . Waitangi, on: the.mairi.Mandj of".. the group. As the tree .was new to Mr- ■ ■• Cox, and as he .could find ■■ no* other *individuals,' ,he sent specimens; to tho. lata, Mr. T. Kirk, who identified the tree as | Pomaderris apetala."' Soon after wards, Sir.' James Hector visited;,the'j3hathams: lie' | asked for some Specimens of flints on the and amongst them wae-aspeci- . men : of this .'species." He" "was surpr i sed > and remarked: "You surely did noti get! this'specimen on this Island ! ,< ,t h.e " \/s told that it certainly grew' the c. Qu discovering the name 'of the":plant Mr.' &.X. questioned several ; the older and' more ' intelligent"• Maoris who then lived, on the" , island in regard to the name Tainta;" -- but they did not seem to take any interest in the question, nor could they supply any ■ theory as to how: the "tree had; been estab- ■"-' lished on. .the Cliathams. "It "is many years since '■ I : saw the tree," Mr. ' Cox writes;-; "It may. have been.. destroyed in • the' meantime, ■ although . I described;- it to one of the Maoris who afterwards took possesion of Matikatau,. and ' told .him how.' the Maoris believed it was Drought to New-Zealand. The'-^esenco'-' of the plant, on this' 'small, out-'of-tb.e-way island '. always : has • been.a puzzle -to me. , There.was'only?6ne.:plant; and this seems to ma' ■"-.';,- tobe conclusive -evidence; that' it mustbayff'Y- :*, been introduced by humanagency."-, : ■'■ Whs* tree was found by, Sir : James.. Hector under peculiar Thirty-five years ago he saw specimens; in an area" restricted to-about en acre of ground, on; the. spur of low sandy hills near the between the Mokau and : ; ■ Mohakatina, Rivers. -'His retention was' attracted -by. 7 peculiar-habit of the plant..: It resembled 6. ; ciump of 'apple trees, and at firsts he thought that Le had stumbled upon, an old orchard orotber. cultivation." ; Later on, Maori's "in,' tie . district, told'him that a^ecunar'tree, waft growing,; on the place-where fheir'ancestors first.' ' camped- when'-they abandoned the Tainui; ? canoe/in which.they;came^i<)m ; Hawaiki7* and that this'.tree had. /sprung from ■ the ■ rollers, or skids, and ~ ' , - » green;-rbougti.i "flooring for'the great "canoe.. ;H .§> expressed-doubt in regard 'to the theoryj' They at .Once offered to "take "him to tha' place where the tree grew, andsaid•'.that■■. '■'■ if : he; did ' not know .of the - tree F growing ' anywhere else in New! Zealand they -would accept the.fact as proof of the correctness of the tradition; * To his surprise the Maoris took iSm to the' clump of .trees: ho - bad previously.-.-noticed.' • He' described the": - .' species as a small shrubby; tree, twenty, feet .high,- .with■'.; numerous irregular. - , < branches, and 6mboth .brownish-grey :bark. '. The' leaves are : from- two to.three .inches: long, and the plant was in flower '-at? 4, *» time-: of his visits on December -5..: ' H«:' named it Pomaderris. Tainui, but? further < investigations ■ showed that ,it is .identical' with the Pomaderris apetala .Of Australia; under -which\name -'it is described jby <Mr;-~.*, T. in his "Manual of -New- ' Zealand- Flora*' ' Mr. Cheesemau, by tlut ■ way, atate3 that formerly it was abundant ■ at; Kawhia, but now- is: extinct there * that it is common in Australia, and thtvtjitihaS;:: been naturalised ■■:■ in' Hawkq'jj -Bay .and > at : Geraldine,rS&uth|Cariterbury;;j4'. There -£ja';. one in tho.native section of the Botanical; Gardens' in Christch'urch:^-" : The- specimen seen' by Sir "James Hector,:. apparently," was ah exceptionally' l large -one,. ...as. Mr.i: Cheeseman states; the height at. from . six feet to- fifteen feet, and he' says'jfchat it r is ; : seldom' taller. : "'"•"•. , v ;; : " ; - ■ : ■•■.'."■•^4■'■■■-■.-'N--■■■■••--:■'■. -■ - i*. : ■."" -~ ' ■■ : ■ ■ ' ; .■■■'■" '': '-■> " ' ■■ - - ..'.J. .■,:::-,"■- If bird's begin to sing as. soon :s tncy." get- up- in' the;-'morning ,"th& ; prize -for', * early-rising be-given to-the sky-! lark. 'In"'New Zealand, at'le'aet,-' the ■sky* .■■■■.. lark "is ; the' first'- to-. break r " the * night'« silence.- It often does not wait) for the dawn, but sends forth : -notes-and" trills" in the darkness. Mr. J.!Jbyce,6ff siys-iv'■!■', nui,'near Christchurch, has drawn : atteii-"; tion to this. He is.o{teh2up-'wSrb'-*tho ,i : : -l lark, and it is the lark's song which lie ; . always hears first, sometimes:as early, as three :in , the morning. Perhaps- an hdHir v or morezdater '.the- song-thrush, begins t.o. send forth its; matchless, notes,".'and, iheur.. ;■ ■ come 7 :the notes' of' the .blackbird.and I'thor. starling,.. and •■ the twitters:.of:,.the.'.migliJy.v - - hosts of sparrows and other birds. vSoma 1 ; of .the early naturalists have: given the sky- ; lark -the credit it deserves in this direction. ,-Macgillivray, the author ' of : "A. History of British Birds," for instance, . . states that on one occasion,: seventy-nine," yeai;s;agp,. behyeen Pbrtobello and Mussel--bujgh, . near Edinburgh, .he heard the full: song of the skylark at haU-past five. Then , canto ..the notes of the robin redbreast, the : . blackbird and-. the partridge. [' On another . occasion, off the l&mv) ol Harris, iii the . ,- Outer Hebrides, on his way to the summit - ; in the:month'of June to-see the sunrise, he - ■ • heard; the-skylark.'.'as".-early.: as half-past : ; one. He nciu out. however,, that tfc L , skylark stops singing in the ' - ', . earDer than either the b!aiKh:id or i-be. thrush. • - .*...'.- - *'.-..,