THE WEST COAST SOUNDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12248, 11 January 1902, Page 2

THE WEST COAST SOUNDS.

TUIS AND BELLBIRDS.

Br R. Itaitr.

There are always a number of these birds on Pigeon Island, but about the 20th November there must bo hundreds of them, and thov get their food so easily from the rata blossoms that they hive plenty of time for fun and play. They are often whiffling and finding their scraps of songs about the house during the- day, but they arrange to hold their concerts at a very inconvenient hour in thn morning, as if they wished to keep thai." music to themselves. Thoy ffntlipr *n soino valley in the hush tt the fir?t of dawn im a summer's morning. A fen , will start with their tingle notes, which hardly surest a sons, but when tho hundreds qa'lipr they can give a grand concert. The- kakas will also come, with their harsh voices, l«it thoy have some loud, clear notei, with whioli thoy try to keep tho time in an irregular sort of way, which Biiits tho jangle and the harmony of their compeny. The crows aro much moro musical, but they aro not on Pigeon Inland. The tuia and beUbirds are the principals, and when there aro hundreds of happy singers emulation rouses them, and then they all sins their vory best. Thero may ba discord when the kaka tercams. but he has ear enough to fall in again for the pretty bits, which sound nil tho sweeter then. There rnny be a wild, changing time, but I think there is often a harmony ahove anything of man's design, Tho city critic may not think much of it at first, but after a while ho will feel something in it that he never felt before.

I lived a summer in Golden Bay, whero the singers wero in thousands, and I felt a grievance, against Captain Cook for ovorV praising them, bill when I heard their eoncerts I agreed with every word he said. 1 have- hoard n few tuis that could perform fairly well, but a bc\lbinl can do nothing without assistance, and that is why many people aro disappointed in them. They expect solos, and they won't gel up at 2 a.m. to hear Jhe concert, bo that the grand old captain is ofton doubted. Last spring I got up purposely to go to the concert, ami it was well worth going to, only it (lid not last long enough, for it was all over in about 10 minutes after 1 got there.

I heard that all the other birds gathered as an iiiidic.nce in (Jolden Bay, and it may be true, for I *aw a few of nearly all the birds on Ihe island. There was qnito a gathering of fantails, and surely they did not come to sing, for their voices are like the prick of nins. Tho only birds I missod were woodhens, hnwks, and moreporks, and some of those may have been within fcearing.