IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18543, 2 May 1922, Page 2

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

NEW ZEALAND’S BLUEBELL. By J. Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S. A native bluebell, sent by a lady at Elstow, Te Aroha, Auckland, on April 6, is accompanied by interesting notes. "I found three plants growing in a paddock of young grass last year,” the writer states "Although 1 carefully searched the locality this year 1 could find no truce of the species, until 1 accidontlly found the specimen enclosed . The flowers .are very beautiful, but they wither and fade quickly. A small dry rise in the same paddock was a garden of wild flowers this season. There were several clumps of the little bluenell, the starry scarlet flowers of the pimpernel, and a red, velvety flower that I always have known as the wild Sweet William. Although I have lived jiero for several years I never saw so many wild flowers before as I saw this season.” The bluebell’s official title, Wahlenbergia gracilis, is not altogether in keeping with its tender. beauty. It usually is an annual, seldom a perennial. The gently swaying bells may be seen as earlv as November, and until the end of February. This year they seem to be late. New Zealand, by the way, shares their possession with Australia and Tasmania, even with South Africa and parts of Asia. The letter continues; 'Last winter two pied stilts stayed for months in a small turnip paddock here. I do not know whether they were nesting or not. If anybody approached the paddock they swooped around and looked very hostile, making a noise like a pup yelping rather than like a bird screeching. I believe that hawks have accounted for more pheasants than sportsmen have taken. A few years Ago I saw a hawk circling where I ■ knew a pheasant had her chicks. Drawing near I heard the male pheasant making a noise. Looking through a bodge, I saw the pheasant holding his ground with a largo hawk. They were so intent on their quarrel that I was quite dose before either of them saw me. The pheasant then flew into ft tea-tree clump close to the scene. Hawks’ bills would be worth more than they are if people realised the harm the haivks do.” An albino sparrow frequented the neighbourhood for months; an albino starling was seen once /in a flock of about 500 other birds; and partial albino blackbirds are seen always on the same hedge. Although the starling is an English bird and the minah an Indian, they belong to the same, family, and have somewhat the same habits. It might bo thought that they would have a friendly feeling to each other, but the Rev. G. S. Cook, Palmerston North, reports that, so far from that being the case, there actually is enmity between them. He wrote on April 6: ‘‘My house is a twostorey building, on an acre and a-half. My near-door neighbour has a correspondingly largo area. As there are ample cover and large trees, bird life is plentiful, in spite of the fact that wo live in the centre of (he residential area cf the town. A colony of starlings nested on my roof. As my study is upstairs, I enjoyed the company. A week before Christmas. 1920, a solitary minah appeared. It was very noisy and very much in evidence, spending a good deal of its lime on the topmost twig of a tall tree, calling at the pitch of its voice. ■ The starlings descried the place two hours after the minah’s arrival. The sparrows united and bhased it a good deal at first. At the end of a week it was joined by a mate. One day the pair went off. Two hours later the starlings were back The minahs appeared again and drove he starlings fiercely - from the roof . to. the nearest trees, and from the trees to the adjoining section. Six weeks later the minahs left for good. Within a few hours of their departure the starlings returned to their old haunts on the housetop. After a few months a large rat found its way into the roof. Tho starlings stopped nesting there, or their eggs wore taken, but adult starlings sheltered in the roof. On .three occasions I heard tho rat seize one and carry it off after a short struggle, the bird’s shrieks becoming fainter until they died away. Those bird tragedies gave me a new vision of the possibility of rats hunting at night and carrying off birds from their perches in trees. The rat has met its fate, but the starlings have deserted the roof as a dwelling-place.” Sir Walter Buffer gave 1871 as the year in which the last New Zealand quail was reported to have been seen. The place he mentions is Racecourse Island, ■ Okarito, South. Westland. Dr R Fultqu, of Dunedin. reports that several of the quail were caught at Blueskin, Otago, in the. late “sixties.” Its extirpation—there seems to lie no possible phanoe of tho species surviving—must have come with surprising suddenness, as Dr Fulton states that at West Taieri it was innumerable in the “fifties.” It has a strong superficial resemblance to the Australian brown quail, which is present in large numbers in some districts of New Zealand, to which it has been introduced by Acclimatisation Societies. Dr Fulton states that many collectors of bird ilkins hove been duped by unscrupulous taxidermists who have palmed off the almost valueless Australian quail for the highly valuable New Zealand species. Quoting Sir Walter Buffer s description, he helps those who wish to make the distinction by pointing out that the Australian quail has transverse arrow-head bars of brownish black on its under surface, while on the under surfacetof the New Zealand quail the marks are horseshoe shaped, with pale centres; and while tho legs of the Australian quail are yellow or straw-coloured, the legs of the New Zealand quail are brown. Extirpation was brought about by Several enemies, amongst them grass fires in the tussock, cats, dogs, and guns. The history of this handsome little bird is a depressing one. The end is somewhat unaccountable in view of the ifact that wide tracts of country siritable for the species are untouched and unfrequented in both islands Another factor, in the quail’s favour was the large number of eggs laid by the female. As many as twelve have been found in one nest. Other palive birds, poorer fliers than the quail, less shy. and laying fewer eggs, have increased, although beset by the same enemies. Tho early Canterbury settler who boasted that, he shot 60 brace of those quail before breakfast on the place where Cathedral square now stands surely never dreamed that he was taking part in the work of extirpation. Some settlers kept native quail in captivity as ,,'Thev thrived well on soaked bread, grain; and grubs. The male was not an, attentive ipate at meal time. When several quail were kept in one enclosure, bickerings took place, but actual hostilities did not result. .The nest was n humble and lowly one; a few bents of grass were twisted into a depression in "the ground. The quail flew feebly, but on the ground they were active. They often uttered a low purring sound, typical of an insect rather than of. a bird. Their call notes, which were louder, -.were repeated several times in quick succession.