Wild Life on the West Coast

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23861, 11 January 1941, Page 6 (Supplement)

Wild Life on the West Coast

By A. G. STEVENSON

Nature Notes

IN my recent notes on things to be seen ' on our holidays I referred particularly to the beaches on the bast Coast. But many people prefer the wilder and more rugged West Coast, and there they will find a rather different type of life. The West Coast is exposed to the prevailing winds and to the incessant pounding of the surf. Also there is a cold current sweeping up from the south, and the result is that the various forms of life must adapt themselves to these more severe conditions. On the long open beaches like Muriwai little marine life is to be seen, hut what does occur is very interesting. Several hi valves, including the wellknown tolieroa, are east up by the surl and every now and then great shoals of the beautiful violet snails are stranded by the tide. 'I here are two varieties of these snail-, the smaller one being quite cryninon. The larger one, which often exceeds our garden snail in point of size, eames ashore only now and then in the warmer months. Shoals of Violet Snails Violet snails float in shoals on the high seas and construct peculiar raitlike devices to carry their egg capsules. It sometimes happens that large numbers of these shells, with the raffs attached, come to grief on our shores. Together with the violet snails two relatives of the jellyfish frequently come ashore. These are the Portuguese Man-of-war, Physalia, and the hy-the-wind sailor, Velella. The Portuguese Man-of-war is a peculiar, bladder-like organism, several inches in length, bearing long threadlike tentacles which are capable of inflicting a very painful sting. Bathers would be well advised to give it a wide berth should it be found floating in the breakers. The hy-the-wind sailor has a small disc-like body surmounted by a transverse sail which catches the wind and propels it over the surface of the water. Both these organisms are blue like the violet snails. The most interesting part of the West Coast is tlio rocliy shore. Here, in spite

of the severe conditions, a great variety of life is found, and we will notice that in many cases provision is made for firm and secure attachment to the rocks. This is necessary on account of the heavy surf and where such provision is not made we will find the organisms seeking the protection ol ••rev ices or hiding under other organisms. Safely Tucked A wan The limpets are well able to withstand the force of the waves but if we look under clumps ol mussels we will lind unite a variety ot shellfish sately tucked away. Pointed starfish, a loot or more across, are in many places very common, straddling the tightly packed mussels on which they dine, and in the deep pools always found round rocks on Ibis coast hermit crabs may be seen dragging round the discarded shells ivhieh they have commandeered, to serve as shelter and protection. Commonest and most striking among the seaweeds is the bull-kelp, Durvillea. which is exposed only at extreme low water. Firmly attached to the rocks its large disc-like holdfasts carry tough flexible stems of light cellular construction, and these stems bear narrow, much divided, whip-like blades several yards long. In a heavy blow this kelp

, is often dislodged and littered over the beaches, In contrast, with this giant among seaweeds there are several minute species covering the rocks on which it grows. Chief among these are Litbothaumioii and .Mclohesia, which coal, the rocks with a bright pink incrustation like paint. To the botanically inclined the West Coast oilers much of interest. The high, steep cliffs are adorned with llax, toetoe and pohutukawa, while down quite near the water grow clumps of lioek Lily or rengarenga. Here also is the large M< 'seinbriantheinuni or iceplant, called korokaka, with its fleshy, threesided leaves, and its smaller relation, Tetragonia, better known as New Zealand spinach'. Here, too, we lind the uncommon little daisy, Celmisia major, with its white flowers and silvery green leaves. The vegetation of the sand dunes is quite distinctive, nearest the sea is a band of Spinifex, or silvery-sand-grass, whose long creeping stems help to bind the shifting dunes, lu late summer it produces the well-known large seed heads which are often seen bowling along the bench in the wind. Farther back, in clumps among the dunes, is another sand-binder, the pingao of the Maori. On account of their bright yellow colour dried pingao leaves were

[much used by the Maoris for decorative purposes, Where ( ho sand is more stable we find the wiry ('oproMiia accrosa and the daisy-shrub. Cassinia relorta.. In wet places are patches of toi-toi, flax and ranpo. The face of miieh of our dune country has now heen changed I>y the systematic planting of lupins and marram grass. Winged Creatures in Haste Insect, life -is present in force hut on blazing hot days it, is ho active that we get little hut fleeting glimpses of winged creatures as they Hash by. Up in the tree tops armies of hie cicadas keep up a deafening chorus, while down below their smaller relations chirp away all day. On an open, sunny bank fleetfooted tiger beetles dart to and Jro, and at rare intervals a butterfly, our led admiral, sails swiltly by. The kingfisher calls along the cliffs while out on tin' lonely dunes the little pipit utters its plaintive cry as it flits from point to point, far above the harrier floats on silent wing, his keen eye ever watchful for unwary prey. Farther back, the tui experiments with melodious notes as he seeks sweet nectar in the pohutnkawa blooms. After dark lie may still be beard, calling occasionally to another bird across the valley, even after the morepork hits eorne out on his nightly prowl. Finally, however, he drops off to sleep and leaves tlm morepork to carry on till the break of another da<y.