RESOLUTION ISLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10369, 25 May 1895, Page 3

RESOLUTION ISLAND.

TWO INTERESTING LETTERS PROM

MR RICHARD HENRY,

Dusky Sound, March 30.

On February 5 I went to the head of Dusky Sound to have a look at this end of Mr Mackenzie's track from Manapouri, and to see how the kakapes were getting on with their young ones. I found several nests—each with two young ones just hatched; but there was drumming still going on, so I suppose they had not all done laying. The drumming started here this'season late in November, and was in full blast, " like distant thunder," on January 2, gradually dying away until February li, after which it was rare to hear it*

There is no river coming into the south arm at the head of Dusky, for there is a saddle there about 1000 ft high; but two rivers come into the north arm—one from the east and the other from the north, down a great valley that disappears eastward behind the mountains. Supper Cove is the wide mouth of the east river, 3nd is subject to the tide for about a mile, where there ia

a hapid coming, over a bank of big STONES,

and raising the river lOlt.. After this there is a fine straight, deep river with almost no current until another rapid rises 25<t iuto a fine reach of running, but navigable, .water passing through a narrow gorge and turning towards the north-east.. There I waa stopped by a dangerous, but passable, place, but I could see the tail of a third rapid snd some miles of level valley out beyond, so I. thiDk it would pay to take up a canoe. I have ordered boards, and will have one up there before next holidays. The rapids are all formed by slips from the hills on the south side, and the portages are not difficult. NATIVE GAME. The mouth of the other river from the north is all broken up into creeks and islands covered with scrub, where there are plenty of grey ducks, a few paradise ducks, and grey teal, aud I saw just ono black teal with three little young ones—the only one I saw on this side. Woodhens with their young wore pleutiful. They appear to bo good nurses and sensible, for they will never come poking about the camp with their chickens, though the male looks hungry and anxious and thin as a rake, as if the poor old fellow denied himself for the sake of his young. Ha can alao count his chickens correctly, for once my dog charged and scattered his family and he went away with what he could gather, but noon returned and clucked and croaked as if hunting for a chicken. I thought he was making a mistake, but some

time afterwards a little one came oufc of its hiding place and piped and called its loudest. I thought it was too late now—that tho old ones were out of hearing—bub I was wrong again, for he soon came back aud took it away. What a contrast to

THE CONDUCT OP FATHER KAKAPO, who won't even keep off fche rats while the mother is tramping away for food for her little ones. In fact I fchiDk he never goes near the nesfc and knows nothing about ib. AU hie family cares consist? in sounding his drum and amusing himself for a while in the Bummer.

On the bank of East river we found a saddlelark's nest ia a hollow stump. It was jiuilfc of dried grass and laid on the botfcora, and there were two Daked young ones in it on February 7. We also found . a kak%'a nest in a like situation wifch two big young ones nearly ready to fly. I should have liked them for pets, but could not attend to them when we are so often-away from home

I saw a big party of kingftsh right afc the head of the sound, and further down three big fellows swam aboufc the boat within arm's length. They would not take a bait and my spear was uofc strong enough, for they were about 40!b weight. r ■ ;

We camped for; a while on the north side of Wet Jacket; on a flat opposite the island, and it is a curious flat, as if ■

A GREAT AVALANCH OF. BIG STONES had spread out all over it. The water runs between them, and the moss and scrub has grown over them, so that it was a very bad place for walking. However, fchere were plenty of fuchsia berries and tutu, so that kakapos were plentiful, but they all had young ones and we" could not remove them as we intended to do. j There was a family of big young paradise ducks here, but iugfcead of going into fche water for security as fchsy would at Te Anau fchey wenfc and hid in the bush as if they had some enemy in the sea. There are very few of those ducks here, because there is so little grass, and; it is quite pitiable to see the little patches on which they try fco rear a family.soroetimes only a few yards square. * Of course the old ones fly to all tho grans in the sound, which may not total an acre in extent, and I think that if I could form a grass flat here there would be

HUNDREDS OF PARADISE DUCKS, becausie they would get a great part of their food from the sea beaches, but it seems they can't do without alifctle grass. .The scrub isao intrusive it covers every font, and even reaches put over the tide,'so that th«re is no chuncefor grass without; assistance. On the little patch that we have, cleared ryegrass. grows fche quickesiand is the richest. I ever saw, bub there are hundreds of seedling forest trees and tcrubs that require some animal to eat; .them down, so that the grass might continue to live. Even in old England Darnin mentioned how quiokly forest treesshdofc up wheh'ammals are excluded^ and thafc is very marked here, and some herbivorous animals are wanted to che-ck ifc. Their -absence has allowed this ~ .7' . '

EVERLASTING BUSH TO GROW LIKE A NIGHTHAEE, until there is not room for a tent. Some of the wreck party lived here for a year or two, but except for the old ship you would not know that a man ever set his foot in this neighbourhood. Sealers lived here for long periods, bat we only see where they rolled the big stones aside on the beaches for their boats to land, and no sign of their camping placjja. The neck of our penimula is jus. paved with

MAORI OVENS, WITH BIG TREES GROWING OVER

THEM, so that when we came there was not room enough to land our stores and timber. People talk about the beauty, of the bush and the danger, of fires, but if Captain Cook had ignored that danger, thrown down a pocketful of grass seed, and liberated a few hardy goat?, the place would now be far more beautiful, with more native birds and perhaps less rain and sandflies. Surely one grassy island br am open place in theforest,would enhance the beauty of the rest.

Goose Cove probably got its name from the paradise ducks, that the newcomers took for geese, for it is shallow, with hundreds of acres dry at low water, and tho shores are flat at both ends, and covered with flax .'and scrub. •But there are no geese or ducks tbere now, though there may have been, for we know nothing of

THE SEEDS AND FRUITS -THS HORDES OP RATS

HAVE DESTROYED in the past, nor of the birds they.have killed or starved out.' The Notornis is one tbat we may credit tbem with, and we nearly missed knowing about it, so there may have been other smaller ones that we never heard of. Seeing where it builds, it is a wonder that the " saddle back " has escaped.

We made some fires at Goose Cove and sowed cocksfoot, but the goats are wanted —or deer would ba better—to prevent the scrub taking charge again.

Under Mount Luxmore, near the big grassy places, wss the best place I ever saw for kiwi and k&kapos, and everybody knows that the Maori hens like to be near open places. I could have burnt some .fine pieces here last year, but I thought my doing so might be disapproved; and even if I had leave to do so I was not ready with the grass seed and the goats.

Dusky Sound, April 11*. 11.

I was out at the islands opposite Pickersgil 1 Harbour, and went ashore ou a low, straggliug island that is not named ou the map. It is a pretty place, with several good boat harbours and uo sandflies, therefore the moat likely place for the old Maoris to make their homes. At the weßt end, which is sheltered by other islands, there is a curious boat harbour, accessible only at high tide, through a narrow passage between rocks, and when ths tide goe« down the water pours out of this ia a fall, for there is considerable apace inside, with gravel bottom, for a boat to rest on.

Captain Cook mentions thit the natives had logs lashed together for a raft, as'well as a small double canoe. Now, please don't laugh. Tho first thing we saw was *a great, flufctish log ou the rocks. Ifc was pointed at both ends. Of conrae I sceuted the idea of its being

PART OF A MAORI RAFT until I found it was red \od& and that it rested on two points of rock, in a sunny place almost above high water, where ifc might easily last for a century or two. I could see no axe marks on it, because it has been bruised about on the stones, and is evidently a very old voyager, yet as «6und as a bell. Close by were fche sites of old camping placed—very 'old. , There were holes in the centre, as if someone had been digging there long ago for Maori curios. There was. fresh water clo_e by, and the harbour would have made

AN EXCELLENT PISH TRAP, for a few yards of netting would intercept all the fish thafc would go in, and moki are fond of going into «uch places.

I had fco make the most of.the fine calm day, aud did nofc stay long,, but went to Indian Island, and saw traces there also of old camping places on the north sidej aboufc the middle. They are not hard to find because the conditions point them out—a good boat harbour, fresh water, and a.sunny place with shelter from the wind do not exist in a great mauy places. *. In Cascade Harbour we stumbled on a camp of quite a different kind. It; was evening, and I, went into the bush looking for a place for our tent, when further in I saw .something bluish, which proved to bs

THE REMAINS OFAN OLD IRON CHIMNEY.

There were fche remains of two corner posts to indicate a little hut, of Bft by 10ft, and only sft high. Hardly another scrap remained; even the, frame of ihe chimney had rotted away, leaving only the iron, and all wis overgrown withsaplings.-one of which 3in thick I'cut for our tent pole, so the place must be from 10 to 20 years deserted, for the saplings would nofc begin fco grow while a roof remainpd.

In the morning after packing up we noticed some old boxes - afc the back half .- covered with silt from the creek, and on examination found that one of ; them contained some tools .; and ironwork, two coils of fu»e, pitch, &c, so that whoever.lived there wenfc away intending to return, bufc possibly got lost or was wrecked. There'was the form of a s»w, but when I lifted it up fche handle fell off,, and the. planes were in like condition. They had been roofed oyer wifch pieces of board, which had rotfced away. I said before tbafc everywhere we go we find

'.■■•■••.-• * TRACES OF, FORMER VISITORS, and it continues fco be, true. On our way to Acheron Passage «o boiled the billy in a little bight at the west end of Long Island, near some overhanging cliffs, which' I went up fco see, aud found-an old fireplace and <a little midden of shells, mostly black mussels and limpets. There was the poorest sh-dter, and indications of .the poorest food, so.:that whoever stayed there must have, been badly off indeed. I think they were not Maoris, because there were no

stonesunder the fireplace. What a pity there are no ghosts in Maoriland, for now I fear there is no chance of us hearing the curious history of a place like this, where there is no one left to hand down its traditions. We have to imagine the everyday life of the native, arid, alas T to imagine all he knew about the birds, the fish, and the seals. Cook gays.-—"Fowl and fiah were in that plenty that the natives had no occasion to go far for food." And in another place he bore testimony to their fondness for se*l's flesh. The latter was likely the principal attraction here until about 1820, when the sealers must have left but few for the poor old Maori with his primitive raft or canoe. On his great old raft he could only go a few miles a day with the tide. He probably carried a fire aboard, aud could fish by the way ; but we have no idea of all his difficulties and adventures up 'and down the sound, with its storms and whimsical tide'currents, which appear to be controlled by the wind; so that it is no wonder he died, or went away with the seals. That evening we had

A LITTLE ADVENTURE WITH THE GRAMPUS,

I wrote you how they once ran away from us in a wonderful hurry, hut on this occasion they were a little too friendly, for they raced around, beside, and under us, swirling about the water so that it shook up the boat. They were wonderfully active, and could wriggle ar.d twist about in all directions, so that I have no doubt that one of them could catch a penguin or a barracouta quite easily. Some of them were big fellows, with bodies thin on the back but deep like that of a cow. We pulled inshore, for a very slight touch would have left us in deep water. However, when they satisfied their curiosity they sailed away on their own business, quite slowly, and mostly in pairs. Every now and then one of them would bellow like a calf, and we saw two on the surface lashing each other with their tails—fighting, I suppose—so they have their little rows like all the rest.

lam curious to know what they eat. There are a great many in the sound now, bat they seldom come up near Pigeon Island.

— A little more than 30 miles from the coast of Japan the Pacific Ocean is found to be over 4655 fathoms deep. Some officers surveying for a telegraph cable had their wire break at this depth without* reaching the bottom. This is the deepest sounding ever made.

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