BIRDS FOR KAPITI.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6384, 5 December 1907, Page 5

BIRDS FOR KAPITI.

FROM THE SUB-ANTARCTIC

FLIGHTLESS DUCKS AND PAROQUETS. CHAT WITH A NATURALIST. D< Cockayne, botanist to tho expedition to tho Auckland Islands, arrived in 'V/ollington yesterday morning with the birds captured by him during his visit to tho islands. Those are to Iks liberated -at Kapiti Island, for which sanctuary he leaves this afternoon. Interviewed last night by a “Times” roponer, Dr Cockayne said: ‘1 was botanist to tiro expedition, and at tho same time I was desired by tho Hon. Mr McNab to make a collection of those birds which are peculiar' to tao sub-Antarotio in order to liberate them on Kapiti and to give a greater chanoo to these rare birds roman ring permanently in Now Zealand, Having visited Kapiti previously, X am perfectly well aware of its suitability for such experiments, but since my lasi.-experience in the Auckland Islands I am more convinced tlian over that in ,-nany respects Kapiti is an ideal spur for tho flightless dnek. ‘“fills particular bird, of which 1 brought six with mo (male and female), swirls about amongst the sea-weeds whwh fringe tho stony shores of Oarnley harbour and Fort Ross, tho two ma,M harbours of the Auckland group. But the bird doesn’t confine itself to the sea. It comes on shore and hunts for food beneath the tall tussock grass. It also swims up tho fresh-water rivers, nnd it is in the neighbourhood of these that it has its nest. Such rivers are ‘quite plentiful p,t Kapiti, and will give every chanco to tljo bird living its twofold life, partly in the ocean and partly ju the neighbourhood of the rivers. Tho, food supply, also rotting seaweed and so on, on the shore, and sand-hoppers, will bo plentiful enough in the new home erf the.so birds. THE PAROQUETS. ,

“The Auckland Island paroquets, of which I have brought ton, oro in excellent condition. They very much resemble their close relative, the redheaded j>aroqtiet of Now Zealand, but they are larger and more bulky. They live both in the rata forests of tho Auckland Islands and in the tussock meadows of tho Antipodes, whoro those particular birds woro caught. "Still rarer, and occupying probably a more limited space than any other bird upon the earth, is tho Antipodes paroquet, of which X have also ten beautiful specimens. These are green throughout. They have never seen a tree in .their lives, and so far as wooded plants are concerned, only shrubs a few foot tall. But tho Antipodes in an island of huge tussock, growing closely together, on tall trunks, from 3ft to sft in height, which are made up out of the dead roots and root stocks of tho grasses themselves. On tho loaves of those tussocks, the paroquets sway to and fro, caring little for tho constant furious gales with hail and sleet. , “Both the Auckland Island paroquet and its Antipodes cousin are extremely tame, and are easily caught with a* net, by covering quickly with n hat, or even by catching by hand. The birds brought have lived all the way, .on most friendly terms with one another, nor have any died. THE FLIGHTLESS DUCKS. “On the contrary, the flightless ducks in confinement become very vicious, and fight 'amongst one another so desperately that the greater part had to be kept in separate cages. Although they have lived always on a marine and soa-shoro diet for the most part, they arc thriving excellently on sop made of bread or biscuit, with water or milk. The paroquets have been fed on oats and wheat. One great trouble has been to keep the cages dry, as they spill tbear*drinklng water all over the straw placed in the bottom of the cage, and it has been necessary to have fresh straw daily.

PRESERVATION OP BIRD LIFE.

“The Railway Department gar© every facility for bringing tho birds safely, and allowing them to be attended to en route. I leave for Kapiti Island to-morrow afternoon in tho Queen of the South, which will land me on that island on her passage to Foxton. With the assistance of Captain Dorrion-Smith, one of the sub-Antarctic expedition, who gave groat assistance in catching and attending to tho birds, I hope to bo able to take a scries of photographs showing the liberation of this shipment, the first of its kind made for the purpose of preserving our bird life by naturalisation on plant and animal sanctuaries, “On Kapiti Island may be soon tho South Island robin, th© whitehead, tui, raorej>ork owl, kingfisher, bell-bird, tom-tit, red-headed paroquet, native pigeon, grey warbler, wax-eye and ordinary groy duck, etc. All these are extremely numerous, as much so as they, have ever been in any New Zealand primeval forest.”