THE HUIA BIRD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10505, 13 July 1910, Page 6

THE HUIA BIRD.

A very interesting letter by Mr James Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S., on the efforts to save the huia from extermination in Nq'v,- Zealand, appears in tho Spectator'■• of May 14. Mr Drummond says:— "Naturalists'-in many parts of the world are interested in efforts made by Mr A. Hamilton, director of the Dominion Museum, in Wellington, New Zealand, to obtain several pairs of live huia birds. He is acting under instructions from the New Zealand Government, which has decided to have specimens of these birds placed on the bird sanctuary on the Little. Barrier Island, near Auckland City, so that they may be preserved from extinction, which, it is feared, awaits them. "The huia is a handsome greenishblack bird, about the ( same size as an English crow. It has rin ivory. bill and a white-tipped tail, and these two characteristics ...form'.a striking contrast to its sombre plumage.. It lives exclusively iu a small, mountainous, and largely forest-clad district in the North Island of New Zealand. It was plentiful enough when Europeans first settled in the country, over half a century ago, but its numbers have been reduced so rapidly that there are fears that it lnay before very long become absolutely extinct, unless some steps are taken to enable it to combat the forces that have come against it ' with the advent of | civilisation.

"Its decrease is largely accounted for by the vanity of human nature. Its. beautiful tail-feathers were worn in the hair by Maori 'rangitiras,' or nobles, and were regarded as insignia of rank. The idea caught the fancy of "Europeans, especially tourists, who liked to go from New Zealand to other countries and display the feathers of a beautiful bird, which might have been worn by noble, but barbarous chiefs in a savage land. A traffic in the feathers soon sprang up, and as high prices were paid, Maoris were encouraged to carry on a heavy slaughter. A correspondent told me recently that in the east coast of the Wellington province, where huias wero once plentiful, £1 each was paid for the feathers. As a result, the bird has been completely exterminated in that district. "Although the ancient Maoris killed large numbers of huias for the sake of the feathers, these depredations did not check the birds' increase. There lived at Castlepoint, in Wellington province, some 30 or 40 years ago, an eccentric old chief and ' tohunga,' or priest, named Pipimoho. He was believed te be the only person in that part of the province who knew where many huias could be found and how they ought to be caught. For many years huia-hunting was his only occupation. .Regularly once a year ho went from the coast to the inland forests to obtain tail-feathers for the principal chiefs of Hawke's Bay, who were his superiors in rank. In the old days in New Zealand it was not uncommon for Maoris to keep huias in captivity. When the birds reached maturity the precious feathers were plucked/ Although they are naturally very wild and shy, they thrive well in captivity. They become, tame, amiable, and affectionate. The late Sir Walter Buller, the author of 'A History of the Birds of New Zealand,' kept 'a female huia, which knew him well, and welcomed his approach by making a melodious chirping note. Many years ago a live specimen was sent to the Zoological Gardens in London. It was the centre of much attraction for some time, but it life could not be preserved. "It is 16 or 17 years since bird-lovers in New Zealand first realised that a great danger beset the huia bird, and that it might bo lost to the Dominion. "Lord Onslow, when Governor of New Zealand, was the first person to take a practical step to secure legal protection for the bird. In 1892 he wrote a long and eloqent memorandum to Mr John Ballance, who was then Premier, asking that the huia should no protected, and that live specimens, together with New Zealand's crows and thrushes, should be placed in sanctuary. Lord Onslow had a personal interest in the bird. In ancient days an incident connected with the wearing of the tail-feathers led a great tribe of Maoris to adopt the huia's name as a tribal designation. When Lord Onslow's son was .born in New Zealand he was named after the Ngatihuia tribe—that is, ' the children of the huia.' At a great gathering of the tribe, when 'the Hon. Huia Onslow, in his infancy, was presented to the tribesmen, one of the leading men, in the picturesque language of the M'aor' race, demanded that the bird from which the tribe had taken its name should be protected. ' There yonder.' he said, pointing- to the dark mountains in the distance, 'is the snowclad Ruahine Range, the home of our favorite bird. We ask you, 0 Governor, to restrain the white people from shooting it, so that when your son grows up he may see.the beautiful bird that bears his name.' The Premier fell in with the suggestion, and the huia, which is the first bird protected in New Zealand for its own sake, was gazetted under the Wild Birds' Protection Act. No attempt was made to place it in sanctuary, however, and the slaughter, though checked, has been continued until quite recently. "Mr Hamilton has gone up into the mountains several . times with Maori liuia-hunters, but his mission has not been successful. The bird has become so rare that he has not been able even to see it. Another attempt will he made soon, and scientists in New Zealand hope that it will result in several pairs of these interesting birds being placed on island sanctuaries."