IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18455, 17 January 1922, Page 2

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY IN NEW ZEALAND. By J. Drummond. F.L.S., F.Z.S. Mr W. ,R. B. Oliver, Auckland, has drawn attention to a New Zealand plant so rare that it has not been recorded once since it was discovered 74 years ago. It is a small woody prostrate shrub, with rigid interlaced ■ branches, and it bears, in profusion, small white flowers. It was discovered by the Rev. W. Colenso, one of the noted early naturalists in this country, when he made a remarkable journey, with a few Maori companions, from Napier to Taupo by Pohue. { After crossing To Onetapu Desert, and when he was south of the Kaimanawa Mountains, and west of the Moawhango River, he made the discovery in the follow? ing circumstances: —“Unfortunately, the ice on the many pools and streamlets we had to cross after gaining the brow Of the hill j was not thick enough to'bear one’s weight, | and we were obliged to go through it. I Crash, souse, into the cold water, of which | my poor companions, with their naked feet,. I loudly complained. Here, in one of these watery hollows, and partly submerged, owing no doubt to the late rains, grew a shrubby plant which I had not seen before, and never again found. I knew it to be allied to our jGoniostoma, and it has ! proved to be a species of Logania. It cost i me a good wetting and cohT shivering to j got specimens.” The only specimens known | now are in the herbarium of the Royal . Botanic Gardens, Kew, England. Logania depressa, as it was named, is closely allied to a» plant that belongs to the Australian Alps. It is the only New Zealand, species of the genus. All other species—there are 20 of them—belong to Australia’. Mr Oliver expresses an opinion that the New Zealand species is descended from a straggler that accidentally, crossed the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand. One of the prettiest sights in a restained way 07t Lake lanthe, South Westland,is supplied by the little white-eyes. If’ a person rows round the lake he probably [ will come to a temporary stop in bull- . rusnes, which, in places, grow out in the water, several chains from the shore. A slight twittering chorus; is heard in the air. A second la'er, a flock of white-eyes appears. They fly towards the suriace of the water, and become nusy among the reeds, on which, apparently tnoy And some kind of insect foOd. They twist and turn on the bending stems, sometimes actually turning upside flown, like an acrobat. Their minds seem to work in harmony, as all of them, on a -signal imperceptible to any onlooker, suddenly leave their business, twitter louder than before and fly in a flock for the forests on the shore. Some of them seem to enjoy the gentle swaying motions of the reeds, set going by the force of their alighting. Several cling head downwards while the stems bond and dip to the water/ The white-eyes then go under for a few seconds. ■ splattering with their wings, and seek other stems, on which they go tlirough the -same performance! , An Jnvercargill correspondent, who supplies only his initials “ D. H. P.,” and does ; not state his place of residence, has sent blooms of the Chatham Island geranium, : which were grown in a Dunedin' garden. It is - the handsomest of five species of geraniums that belong to this dominion. Its flowers, uiilike those of the/ common scarlet exotic geranium, are white. The Ohatham Islands geranium was discovered : by Mr H. H. Travers, of Kelburne, Wellington, when he made a botanical excursion to those islands nearly sixty years ' ago. It is reported to bo • abundant on sea rocks on all parts of the islands’ coasts, and it favours some rocky places a few miles from the sea. It has not been found wild in any part of the mainland. The : scarlet geranium. Geranium Roberfcianum, one v of ithe most popular garden plants in New Zealand, has established itself in fields . and waste places hero, but it is not plentt- ; ful except in gardens. i I The commonest wild geranium in New Zealand is/ Geranium molle, a diffuse herb, ; with small purplish flowers. It is abundi ant ixx all soils and situations in the North j Island, the South Island. Stewart -Island, I the Chathams, and the Kermadecs. ‘Tn the’ | South Island it ascends' more than 2500 ft. It is common in Europe, Northern Africa, i and Western Asia, and Mr T- F. Cheese-'' I man expresses an .opinion that there is little j doubt that it was introduced accidentally to New Zealand, whose conditions Obviously, it finds, are very suitable. I r , -■ ' - | A few experiments made occasionally ■ aHpw that this dominion’s wood-pigeon, although strictly an inhabitant of the forests, , may bo successfully domesticated. It is ; not very particular as to wbat it eats; it j readily adapts itself to captivity; it is an : interesting pet; and it is the largest and one i of the handsomest pigeons, in the world, j The latest effort in tliia direction is by Mr ' 1 W. Boeder, of Harihari, South Westland. ' I'Some months ago, during a great storm, ja young wood-pigeon was found in his , j cowshed. The wind, apparently, had blown jit out of the forest that grows near, the ; j township. It, had some down on it and was ‘ | able to fly, but one of its legs had been • broken. According to latest reports, it was '• | getting on'well in a cage that serves as its ! prison. A tame wood-pigeon was kept in Wei- ( ling ton tor some months, in order that it 1 should be sent to the Zoo.ogioal Gardens 1 in London, but some children who took < compassion on its solitary appearance de- ‘ liberately'opened the door ot its cage and * it flew away. It had been, brought up by a * party of bushmen, who found it when it had 1 been stunned after it was entangled in the J branches of a falling tree, A wood-pigeon ’ kept for several years in the Canterbury < Acclimatisation Society’s Gardens was sent \ to the London Zoo, but it soon died there. 1 In the golden days of the West Coast a j stuffed albino wood-pigeon, kept in a glass * case in one of the Hotels at Ross, was c regarded by the proprietress as a mascot. 1 “Come and see the white pigeon.” meant ’ “Come and have i.a drink. 1 ' Sir Walter | Duller failed to induce the proprietress to : sell the bird to him. There is a somewhat i strange story as to how it was obtained. * It is stated that Mr Ogilvie, a resident 1 ’ of ! Ross—it was between 40 and SO years ago— { went into the _ forest to shoot pigeons. Ho saw the white pigeon, but it was too far for a ehot. Lor several nights he dreamed of the wonderful bird. A few weeks later, when he was out with his gun j again, ho saw an ordinary pigeon sitting t on a tree. Ae he pulled the trigger the f white pigeon moved into position alongside f the pigeon, and both fell together. f “In our town-garden there is a clump p of bush flax which, this season, is flowering I profusely (Mr H. M. Blakiston wrote from t Dannevirke last month!. “At almost regular intervals during the day it is visited by a pair of tuis on the look-out for honey; To encourage the visitors we are filling the flower tubes with a syrup mode of honey, sugar, and water. A day dr so ago ( imy wife, a great Nature-lover, was stand- t ' ing quietly close to the flax bush when ( ; the larger of the birds flew down so close ] ito her that one of its wings brushed her £ face. The tui showed no fear as it alighted ' ;on an adjacent tree not 10ft away, and on t |my wife moving slowly away commenced t j eagerly searching the flax flowers for its 1 I favourite food. As wo were watching it, s j the smaller bird appeared, whereupon the t 1 hrst-oomer promptly departed. The flax { bush is in full view of a window in the 'j I room in which wo bake our meals. It is c : fascinating to see the tuis with their white j ] throut-feabliors; the grey neck-hackles, and s the’ blue-green plumage of the back and a wings flashing in the sun as they hop froni t one flax stick to another Busily sipping 1' the nectar. So far we have heard no song- v notes. 1 may add that the nearest native t j bush is far away.” c - - e