UNDER THE KAURIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20792, 7 February 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

UNDER THE KAURIS.

By KAYMOND EPFS (Age 13). (Original.) As we walked through the bush, listen, ing to the songs of tuis and bcll-biidsj we wore struck by the statelincss of lito forest trees. Towering above us were wonderful specimens of all Jvew Zealand 3 native trees. Another pleasing feature was the songa. of the native birds. As they perched on the branch of a magnificent kauri tree, their songs of gratefulness to God for the gift of life, were wafted down, to us 011 the cool morning breeze. Never beforo had we heard such wonderful music. It held us spell-bound. Wo were suddenly " brought back to earth "by a different sound. It was; getting nearer and nearer. It was a sound to which we were well accustomed. At the first sound of this peculiar call we each darted toward a separate tree, climbed up it atul waited. In. a few minutes there passed beneath us seven or eight large, wild boars. As they passed beneath us, rooting up the ground and squeaking, ? member of our party accidentally dropped a small twig on tho leading monster's back. With a grunt following a hideous squeal the small herd swept by, but wc did not return to the ground until their voices had died away in the distance. We completed our day'souting, with a certain dread of meeting more of these forest beasts. When wo arrived home we had in our arms huge bunches of beautiful clematiii, the New Zealand bush flower. The next day we had the pleasure of seeing one of our enemy-pigs die from a shot from a boar-hunter's gun.