NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19932, 28 April 1928, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

BY J. DRUMMOND, F.L.S-j F.Z.S.

THE LONG-TAILED CUCKOO. m

" For pity's sake," Mr. J. B. Cummini? writes from Robert Street, Ellerslie, tell me why I have never met an experienced bushman, European or Maori, who has seen a young long-tailed cuckoo. Ho makes this piteous appeal because lie believes that his; "long-tailed friend, the Koekoea " does not breed in New Zealand, but merely comes to this Dominion year after year for the sake of the food supplies offered here, and returns again to warmer and more northern places. He seeks to shatter several very general beliefs in regard to the two species of cuckoos that grace New Zealand with their presence in spring aud summer. He does this on the ground that he is not one of those who spend merely a fortnight or so under canvas occasionally, but has often spent whole summers on the high back ranges where the long-tailed cuckoo lives while it stays in New Zealand.

Young long-tailed cuckoos arc not very uncommon in New Zealand. It has been noted that the young linger longer in New Zealand than their psirents. The adults usually arrive from Polynesia, tho Solomon Islands, or Samoa> at the end of October or tho beginning of November, and leave for their northern homes in January or February. Tho young may he seen in New Zealand sometimes as late as the first week in April. Sir Walter Buller found young not infrequently in March or later. He presumed that these wcte solitary individuals that had been hatched too late in tho season to allow them to join in the general migration north. The plumages of the young in New Zealand have been described in detail. Usually the ground colour of the upper surface is blackishbrown, of the wnder surface pale cinna-mon-brown.

Mr. Gumming seems to discredit statements that long-tailed cuckoos place their eggs in the neists of tuis, tomtits, woodrobins and other birds, leaving them to hatch and rear the young cuckoos. Taking the wood-robinj the hatching of a long-tailed cuckoo's egg in its nest has been noted by, perhaps, the most reliable observer in New Zealand, Mr. W. W. Smith, New Plymouth. His diary has the following entries: " October 29 —Found a wood-robin's nest with two eggs. October 31—Four eggs. November Surprisetf to find, a long-tailed cuckoo's egg had been placed among the others. November ..0 —Made the wood-robin fiy off, in order to examine the eggs. November 24 —All eggs hatched; young cuckoo enormous size compared with its mates. November 28 —Young cuckoos thriving well, being kept constantly supplied with ' food by the wood-robin, whose own surviving offspring, three in number—one had died—seemed to be doing well. December 2—Young cuckoo growing rapidly; it will soon be too large for the nest, and already has to He on top of the young wood-robins. December 6—Young cuckoo still in nest; now covered with thick blackish downy feathers; seems very robust. December B—Young cuckoo quite fills cavity of nest. December 9 Removed two young wood-robins to make room for the increasing size of the young cuckoo. December 15—Brought young cuckoo home; it is in fine plumage, spotted with white or greyish-white on a brown ground. December 17 —Young cuckoo doing well, eats freely; moves clumsily and utters a peevish cry; legs well developed, but weak; eyes very bright. December 22—Young cuckoo died last night, much to my regret."

Years ago, it was believed that tuataras always, or usually, shared burrows belonging to petrels;, birds and reptiles living together. Later observations showed that tuataras, although notoriously lazy, are capable of iscooping out their own primitive homes, but Messrs. B. Sladden and K. A. Falla supply confirmatory evidence of domestic partnership between tuataras and petrels on the Alderman Islands, in the Bay of Plenty. On Ruamahuaiti, one of the highest' islets of the group, tuataras are plentiful. A flax-bush near Glatton Beach is almost undermined with tl)»ir burrows. Perhaps inherent laziness accounts for the fact that on that islet i;he tuataras seem to prefer burrows made by petrels rather than burrows made by their own efforts. Messrs. Sladdcm and Falla found that a member of any species of petrel that makes a sufficiently jiarge burrow may become a tuatera's partner. They state that it seems to be the individual temperament of the sitting bird that guides a tqatara in its choice. On that islet, tuataras arc plentiful in and near burrows belonging to Forster's shearwater—this is one of the mutton-bird petrels—and to the grey-faced petrel.

Most tuataras found on Hongiora. a smaller islet, were in an area occupied by the white faced storm petrel, which makes very small burrows. Those tuataras were in short' burrows with high vaults, and the worn sides of the burrows show that they have been occupied for many years. "Of the rugged, stone-grey type, veritable patriarchs of their kind, such as are found sometimes ou Karewa Island, in the Bay of Plenty, and on Stephen Island, in Cook Strait," is the way in which these tuataras are described. There is geological evidence that Hongiora had an origin independent of other members of the group. This may have some significance in association with the fact that Messrs. Sladden and Falla report that most of the tuataras on Hongiora are older, larger and slower than tuataras on other islets. It is not unusual to fintd the headless bodies of storm petrels close to large burrows. This probably represents the work of tuataras^

1 hero seems; to be generally, a friendly Spirit between tlio reptiles and the birds; as " the numbers of these petrels killed by tuataras is comparatively small, entanglement in branches being a more important cause of death." Still, tuataras have been seen eating young petrels, and; their'part in the association may have an interest apart from sharing a readymade home. In some cases when a tuatara makes its own home, it occupies a, main tunnel as a living-room. At the end of the tunnel and at right angles from it, there is a small chamber. In this the tuatara's eggs, flexible, tough and elastic, are placed, packed and covered with soil. Jfc is belieV'ed that tho eggs are laid outside of the chamber, ancl are carried in by the owner, in its moutli or its claws.

The most animated scene on the Alderman Islands—tho Court of Aldermen is the name Captain Cook gave them—iis after dark, in January, when the whitefaced stormy petrels return to visit their burrows on Hangio.ra. Excitement is at its height between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The stormy petrels then seetn to bo flitting about everywhere and to be fall ing like heavy raindrops through the foliage. The air is filled with an indescribable babel of chirps and squeaks. Messrs. Sladden and Falla had some difficulty in noting the stormy petrels' normal procedure, as tho petrels wens diverted by the flash of an electric torch. As soon as a gleam shot out, dozens of stormy petrels struck the torch-bearer. They found their way into coat-pockets and open shirts, and nested in dazed contentment. For the first hour after arrival, most of the stormy petrels seemed to do nothing except hop about and flutter By 11 o'clock most of them were crouching at the entrance of burrows. By midnight they were underground. Muffled twitterings came from their hiding places until their departure before dawn.