NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

MANNA !N NEW ZEALAND.

BY J. DttL*2IIIOND, F.L.S., F.Z.3

Maoris and early settlers in -New Zealand know of a manna, but not under that name, and not, in their minds, associated with the manna of the Bible. Professor F. P. Worley, of the Auckland University College, after examining a large area of manuka in all stages of growth on the sea coast about six miles north of Thames, found about 12 occurrences of manna, apparently the same as Maoris and early settlers know. In. every case, the manna found by him was on comparatively small branches, or, more frequently, not far from the ground on the trunks of young plants. Several branches affected were split open. In each instance a small grub was disclosed. Dr. D. Miller, of the Cawthron Institute, has identified this as the grub of the lemon-tree borer, a, boring beetle, Aemona hiit.i. The manna was exuding from an air-hole below the place where the grub was industriously working. When freshly exuded it was in the form of a sticky syrup, thicker than honey. Later, it crystallised into a fairly hard white mass.

The lemon-tree borer, the latest addition to the list of insects that produce manna, is one of New Zealand's longhorn beetles, characterised by very long feelers. Their family is so large that Australia, lias no fewer than 860 species of them. New Zealand has 240 species, a large number in a somewhat poor beetle community. Dr. Miller states that normally the lemon-tree borer in it 3 grub state lives in several native trees including the manuka, or t«a-tree, and ' the wineberry, but that it also attacks introduced trees, notably the poplar, the goat-willow, the citrus, the almond, the apple, and the gooseberry. The grub is white, cylindrical, narrow, and may be more than an inch long. It bores through the centre of stems and cuts deep furrows, completely encircling a .branch immediately beneath the bark. Parts above the incisiohs readilv snap off.

Advancing to the stage of a white chrysalis, the beetle lies in the burrow it had cut as a grub until it is ready to came out into the world, a perfect insect, narrow-bodied, up to one inch long, brown, clothed with short golden hair. On its head it wears four orange-vellow spots and a single central one on its back. The lemon-tree borer has nianv close connections in New Zealand. All these, probably, are borers, and also, probably, produce manna, A very hairy Australian relative is destructive to forest reserves.

Previously Professor Worley found manna in manuka. In that case the producer was not a beetle, but a planthopper accidentally introduced from Australia. Popularly known in Australia as the passion-vine hopper, it appears in the insects' own particular literature as Scolvpopa Australias. In the North Island it does damage in orchards, and, according to Dr. Tillyard, it is present on all native vegetation " in countless swarms." The lemon-borer—a native of New Zealand. as stated before—is present in both the North Island and the South Island. Mrs. Fitzsimrnons sent Professor Worley two good samples of its manna from Lake Rotoiti, Nelson.

The origin of the manna mentioned, in the Bible seems now to be determined without any doubt whatever. Not long ago some inquirers believed that it was lichens. Others believed that .it was the secretion of plants from wounds made by insects. To solve the problem, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem sent a small expedition to the Sinai Peninsula. It examined classical places where manna had been recorded, and it established beyond doubt, apparently, that manna is honey-dew, the sweet material exuded by plant-lice, scale-insects, and, as disclosed by Professor Worley, by some plant hoppers and beetles. The expedition to Sinai, saw the actual production of manna by insects. It came out as drops of clear, sweet fluid. Experiments showed that the fluid was taken by the insects from the plants, and was passed through the insects' bodies. The dry, desert-like climate of Sinai causes the fluid to crystallise. It covers the branches or falls to the ground, and. it is stated, then is tfls true Biblical manna, called honeydew in these times. The of manna were known to the ants ages before the Israelites peopled Palestine. When the world was young, no doubt, some species of ants regularly milked scaleinsects for liquid manna, in the same wav some ants do now.

Mr. E. Reweastle, Old Lake Road, Devon port, Auckland, reports that, when passing over a reef close to Narrow Neck, he saw, floating near the surface, ail unusually large jellyfush, measuring at least eighteen inches across. It looked like n mushroom, with part of its stem attached. With the blade of an oar placed beneath it was brought to the surface. It (hen spread out about two feet. Its upper surface was bright purple, marked with spots about an inch in diameter. The body seemed to be surrounded by a dirty, drab fringe, and fine, long trailers hung down. The largest jellyfish Mr. Reweastle had seen previously was about the size and shape of a tongue jar, and a clear claret colour. Many years ago. members of this species often were washed up on the beach at Whitianga, after a storm.

" On dark evenings in this district," the Hon. G. J. Garland, M.L.C., writes from Yates' Road. Mangerc East. " the pipi-bird may still be heard. »I hear its endless chatter, but. as is always the case, cannot, see it. I have- never met anybody, Maori or European, who has seen the pipi-bird. It. is said to belong to the petrel family and to nest in secluded uitches and caves of rocks that abound at, Manukau Heads. More knowledge of it would be interesting—its colour, i(s food, and the way in which it chatters as it passes at night close to a person, but never in sight . I have heard it scores of times at night, but never in the day time. Its favourite time is from about 0 p.m. until after midnight. It seems to depart after that. Although on a few occasions I heard it in the morning when the tuootl was about the first quarter, for the most part it comes about on dark nights, - especially when there is no wind."

The English cuckoo and New Zealand s two cuckoos are not- very-closely related, but they belong to the same family and their methods, on the whole, probably are almost the same. Recent observations <if the English cuckoo s method <">t ejecting from a nest, it usurps the uwner s ecu doubtless gives a good idea how tiie New Zealand cuckoos go about this business. The story begins with ■j, yoiutir cuckoo in a wagtail s nest, energetically demanding food while it was being photographed. As the first step in the eviction process,' the cuckoo inserted one of its wings under the wagtail's egg iU "i tilled the egs inward on to the cuckoo's hollowed back. The egs was held in position by the cuckoo's wings, and by its head, tilted backwards.

Then came the final, very vigorous push, which sent the egg over the top and left the usurper in comfortable possession. The force exerted was so great that, the cuckoo almost followed the egg. It lost its hold ou the nest with one foot, and duns tightly to the material of the riest witli one wing in order to regain its balance. The egg was replaced in the nest again and again. Fifteen times in one hour, the determined cuckoo ejected that egg. The cuckoo was only about thirty-six hour 3 old.