NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17459, 1 May 1920, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

BT J. DRUMMO.ND, 1.L.3., F.Z.9.

Sir Joseph Kinsey, of Christchnrch, who took a prominent part in the affairs of Antarctic Expeditions that made New Zealand their headquarters during the past 18 years, has been good enough to send me the egg of the Atlantic skua gull. It was skilfully blown, obviously by a practised hand, and bears the inscription, in pencil, and in neat handwriting, "Cape Adare, January 9. 1902." It was collected by Dr. E. A. Wilson, the talented and charming zoologist of Captain Scott's two expeditions, who shared his leader's fate during the dreadful journey back from the South Pole. It is rich brown or greenish, with spots and blotches of dark brown, purple grey, and umber. The Antarctic skua, like all other skuas—there are about six species 0 them—is a robber and a terror to other birds that frequent the same places. It nests in the Antarctic in company with the little Adelie penguin, whose eggs, and chicks it takes without compunction, with the result that it causes among the penguin chicks excessive mortality. During an exploring expedition to Cape Geology, on the coast of South Victoria Land, in 1911, Dr. Griffiths Taylor and three members of his party celebrated Christmas Day by using skua eggs for dinner. "We had a fine lunch," he wrote. "Twentyseven skua eggs had been collected. Forde took the precaution to crack them first. The first one showed considerable development, but it went into the fry, much to Gran's disgust. Then about four fair ones and then eight bad ones; and finally we had two each-a 30 per cent, success. We opened the Christmas bags; a slice of pudding each, with caramels, an epicurean | feast, I warrant you."

All Antarctic explorers who have observed the s'jua of those regions agree that it possesses undesirable characteristics. Dr. Griffiths-Taylor describes it as the most quarrelsome bird he knew. "They would fight for hours over the carcases of freshly-killed seals before they realised that there was enough food for ten times as manv skuas as were present, and by this time the flesh had been frozen so hf.rd that tbev could make no impression on it." Captain Scott describes skuas flying around and shrieking wildly until they reached a fairly high altitude. They then swooped down with great impetus. One skua nested on the rocks close to the dogs, and took no notice of the men, who passed every few minutes. New Zealand lias a skua of its own, which nests an flat grassv places not far from the sea on the Auckland, Campbell, Chatham, arid other islands, but does not go to the Antarctic. To sailors it is known as the sea-hawk, and to Maoris of the south as hakoakoa. The Antarctic skua has been recorded in New Zealand only once. Twentv-five vears ago, when Lord Ranfurlv and a'partv of excursionists were on "the Ttrtanckii in Paterson's Inlet. Stewart Island, a large bird was seen hovering daintily over the surface of the water. A member of the Governor s suite took a Ion? shot with a pea-rifle. The bird was badly hit. It turned, a halfsomersault in 'the air, went straight frr the open sea, flew about 300 yds, collapsed, and fell into the water. When ? boat was sent to pick it up, it was found to be an Antarctic skua. It probably had come from the Antarctic continent, and it deserved a better fate.

New Zealand skuas have been recorded in fairly plentiful- numbers in the Bay el Islands. They may visit other places in the north, but it is not likely that they nest there. A resident of the Bay of Islands, writing some years ago, stated that skuas will single out a tern that has ,a fish, will frighten the tern until it cries out and drops the fish, and will catch the prize, before it reaches the water, with great quickness. Other terns, while this is taking place, fly around the assailant and screech at it, but do not attack. On the Waikare River, a tern was seen trying to evade a skua. It had no chance, and was struck and fell into the water. The skua then settled on the water, raised the tern, and flew with it for about 200 yds, when the* tern was allowed to drop. A tame skua, kept in a Wellington garden, was very intolerant of intrusions into its domain. A small red-hilled gull was placed in the enclosure. It immediately vent to the fountain, and seemed to be" quite at home. Half an hour afterwards, t was found that the skua had resented the intrusion by killing the gull outright. This autocrat was presented by Sir Walter Buller to the Hon. Walter Rothschild, and was placed in that gentleman's aviary at Tring, England, where, no doubt, it bullied all other birds within reach.

An egg of the Adelie penguin, which Sir Joseph Kinsey has included in his gift, represents another inhabitant of the Antarctic, a little, pert, passionate bird, utterly devoid of dignity, and filled with extravagant curiosity. When men first set foot on the real Antarctica Continent, \de!ie penguins came down to meet tkm. The pebblv beach at Cape Adare was covered with them, and they lined all the accessible projections of the rocks up to a height of 800 ft or 1000 ft. From this vast concourse, which included young as well as parents, there arose a steady din and screaming, sounding in the distance like the voice of many waters, or the uproar of an excited human assembly. Those who have watched the peculiar gait and attitude of the Adelie penguin say that it is very amusing. Standing absolutely erect, the bird supports itself on its tripod feet and tail. As it waddles on, with its feet apparently tied together, us tail cuts a deep furrow in the snow, but this is broken at intervals, as the bud half loses its balance and sways forward. Hurrying on, it soon Uses its balance completely, and topples forward. Its progress." instead of being stopped, is accelerated, as it uses its flippers alternately as paddles, and pushes wi'.h its feet behind, its tail being lifted off the ground.

Until Captain Scott's first expedition returned to New Zealand- n 1903, nothing was known of the breeding habits of a large Antarctic penguin, which bears the haughty title of emperor. It is tall, silent, "solitary, sedate, and exclusive, and, perhaps, is the handsomest penguin in the world. Although it is not as plentiful as the Adelie, there are some places on the Antarctic Continent, in which it appears in large numbers. At Cape Adare a large and handsome emperor was seen to shout out of the water on to the ice within a few yards of the place where several men were standing. The great bird gazed around in a quiet, dignified way. looking like a giant amongst the smaller species, who were afraid of him, and gave him a wide berth. The explorers tried to get between him and the water's edge, but he soon saw their intentions, and quietly took a header back into the water. ■ An emperor was seen firm the deck of one of the exploring vessels, crouching under the lee of a hummock, where shelter was obtained from the wind. It sat quite still, and was undisturbed by the nois e of the vessel. Another emperor suddenly shot up out, of the water and on to the floe on which the first one stood. They greeted each other, and opened a conversation, gesticulating very amusingly. Explorers interested in Antarctic penguins seemed to become fond of the strange birds. Nicolai Hansen, a young naturalist, who was zoologist on the Southern Cross, and who died in the Antarctic regions on October 14, 1899, has left behind a diary in which the Adelie occupies a prominent part. A live penguin was caught by the sailors half an hour before he died. Although he knew that he was about to pass away, he asked that he should be allowed to see the bird, and when it was brought to nun, he gently stroked its feafters and leeoiy examined H. J