MAORI NATURE NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20964, 1 March 1930, Page 14

MAORI NATURE NOTES.

Written for the Otago Daily Times. By J, H. S. XIII. Papango (“shining black” or “dark green”), the black teal or widgeon, once so familiar to every boy who hunted with a dog and a catapault among the streams and lakelets of the high country far from the sea, where these birds were iu flocks of 50 to 100; but now seldom if ever found. They played in sportive mood among other water birds, and were a source of entertainment to those who could watch from the shelter of the bush. The papango is a great diver, and seems to use its skill under water as a diversion or a protective measure rather than for the purpose of fishing for food. It sits for hours almost submerged and snaps at passing small fish without any apparent move of the body. It nests and rears a brood in a toitoi or tussock near the water. The colouring is inconspicuous and protective on the water and among the raupo; but when seen closely is very beautiful. The head is shaded in shiny tints of green, purple, and glossy black. The upper Dill is blue. Karp (“protective charm”), a small tree growing to 40 feet, found in few localities from Xortheru Hawke’s Bay to the Xorth Cape, and Hear the sea coast, where, as a shelter belt, it resists our worst, storms. Stems perfectly black right ,up to the leaf stalks. The leathcr-Hke leaves, plain, oval, and pendant, about three inches long, are white below and green above. Flowers, rich chocolate iu clusters 011 the branch tips. Fruit black, divided into five sections form end to end, in shape and, size like a corrugated walnut. The seeds are covered in a white, sticky substance; but seem to lack carriers, for the distribution of them is very limited. The karo is well worth growing for its shapely form and strong contrasts of black, white and green. It is 'but little known, though of .easy cultivation. Its tough wood resembles the hinau in its fire-resisting quality, whether dry or green. The karo is a native of Xew Zealand only; but-we need to visit Kew gardens to joinwith visitors from other parts in admiring its unique beauty. Parera, or wild duck of the Xew Zealand sportsman is gifted with a rare instinct of self preservation. When a shot is fired, these ducks rise from the water in a scattered V-shaped formation: a second barrel changes it iu a flash" to one straggling line. If surprised with her young brood in the open, the mother duck will entice a dog or a man to follow her a mile by pretence of bein° wounded, dragging one wing and one le° on the grass, while the family hides in quite another direction. If in the water, the same tactics are followed. When there was but a . single telep-i'aph wire stretched along this coast at'the height p e ' r evening flight, one or more were killed on each mile of it, and boys out for the cows at daylight often found the dinner of choice game, below. The wires have increased an hundredfold, hut instinct preserves old and young alike v Thousands fed in the of the lakes. The Maoris stretched a rope of muka a: foot above the surface and netted the space below it with fine snares.

Kawaka (“parallel”) a splendid tree growing to a hundred' feet. Foliage when young resembles that of the young Kimu; but in later stages very like that of a handsome. fern leaf, standing at right angles to the stem. The seed is a small woody cone. The tree in all stages was easily recognised among other pines by the Maoris, who used its loose, dry bark as they did that of the Totara for thatching their whares. Its leaves are a puzzle to the_ untaught observer, for' they assume a different shape at various stages of its growth. >■ The straight grained durable timber is an ideal building material; but altogether too scarce and valuable, except for fine cabinet ware and inlaia work. It is of dark red with straight black lines through the grain. It grows from Taranaki northward, and is found in isolated specimens. Unless the Forestry Department intervenes the extinction, of it seems likely. Though winged, its seeds are poor aviators, and. they are woody, the birds refuse ,to assist in fertilising or distributing. ° Pekapeka (“a plaited flax mat”), the bat, that _ curious mammal bird, like- a mouse with effective aeroplane wings, just such a creature as Alice would find' in Wonderland. Some day another Lewis Carrol will see this real Wonderland of ours where Nature is “really topsy-turvy to little girls with eyes that see.” A hairy body, long ears, and “whiskers” like a kitten. The spines' of the velvet wings are so jointed that they fold beside the body or extend like the sail of a boat. There are two bats peculiar to New Zealand—the long tail and the short. These are the only land “ animals ” originally found here, for the kuri and the kiori came with the Maori in their Noah’s Ark —a strange selection. The hands—or were they legs?—have developed into wings, and the legs into hooks for climbing or clinging.' What a problem for our naturalists, and a feast of observation for Darwin! In cold climates they' sleep for four months, but here only by day. An imaginative bushman, whom “ G.K.S.” described as “an experienced ( liar,” saw a thousand of them in a hollow tree. That story is as it may be.

Kawa Riki (“little mound”) or Tu Tahuna (“standing rock”), is the realistic vegetable sheep, of which the Maori names vary. It is an Alpine curiosity, growing above the snow line in the South Island. The shepherd iii search of stray woollies has often tried to rouse it from with the toe of his boot. It is unlike any other growing thing. The short “branches” fit so closely that they can be separated only by the sharp point of a knife. The wind on the mountainside can neither shake it nor loosen its root. On the tips of its closely packed leaves are millions of white woolly hairs, a covering which protects it from the intense cold to which it is, exposed. As in all its tribe, special protections against the rigours of perpetual winter have evolved. Its roots penetrate the surface until they find solid rock to which they adhere. It not only keeps out the cold, but keeps in the warmth, like a thermos flask. First noted by Dr Von Haast, who, after the manner of botanists, used the plant as a tombstone, upon which to write his own and its joint epitaphs thus, “Haastia pulvinaris.”