IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21216, 23 December 1930, Page 2

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

BEETLES WASHED ASHORE. By J. Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S. Small bright green beetles sent in a box by Mr W. H. CliiTe, of Dargaville, bring to mind the fact that New Zealand oners rich fields of boundless interest, and no small measure of usefulness, to young, earnest entomologists. The moths and butterflies have been studied bv Mr G. V. Hudson, of Wellington; Dr R. J, iillyard, has done excellent systematic work amongst the Dominion’s whole insect fauna; and Dr D. Miller and hia assistants in the Cawthron Institute have studied insects from the economic aspect, occasionally investigating habits that do not come within that range. This practical work, doubly important to a country of New Zealand’s age and position, cannot be praised too highly. There remain many species of insects with interesting life histories still unwntten. The green beetles sent by Mr Uitte are amongst them. They are pretty little creatures, about a quarter of an inch long, with orange yellow legs and a dark stripe down the middle of the back, home members of the species seem to change their coat of Lincoln green for a brown or coppery coat. On the wing through the spring, summer, and autumn extraordinarily plentiful at times and in places, these beetles cannot fail to attract the attention of even casual Observers. They are usually eeen on r±;* rees - Mr CHffe. found them in, apparently an unusual situation. H e alonfliT My ,' vlfe “d I were strolling m.r V oast nea F- Cha6e s Gorge, when menon te of 10n dlrected by the phonof H om , stlGSS numbers of these ) Wf p hed UP on the beach. They 3 OnK tle f oa&t f° r miles. It interested me as to how and why the vast host came here;” The how and the whv easilf^Ti 103 ‘Mi ° annot be explained ‘ r h ? beetles, evidently, were blown out to sea during one of their to^he* 0 ? lghts > became exhausted, fell anythl “2 about their habits except that on a hot day they fly in num- ‘| owe . r ing manuka trees. He tree P in C d bp n be ffn ng ' sl «l fc under a manuka R, and has shaken off between 30 and 40 beetles at one time. “ This i a Dartiminrknoticeable to a New Zealand entomologist accustomed to the meagre supply 0 f spedstates. ° ffered IU tIG ma -l’ orit y of cases” he As far as forestry is concerned the leai'fepfl b +t t eis more important ’as a femia der thal ? as a root-feeder. It usually but d Dr MiUer k k and f , othe , r native u bas oft en detected it damaccSses 1 it® of eucaly P ts -„ D r Tillyard tu-Liises it ot occasionally damnirinrr orchards, but finds that in November an! of tro m ut er Tt i S .° ne of .the principal foods oi trout. It only remains to be stated that b«? yron 2 ta festi ™ offiirroun M ongß to an immense roi i? . c . a “6d cockchafers, represented in Australia by about 1000 species and in fua W Tht w by C0 ’ most °‘ ‘hem injuriat ionif fU t oUfi . grasfi 'grubs—there are dL: 11 three s Pecies—belong to the unsnecito nf r °L- P h / n Queensland several species of cockchafers inflict heavy losses on /the sugar-cane industry. The flowert le rose-chafers, elegant, magPincent, flower-haunting beetles, imnortant members of Australia's insec 1 ef ar e not seen m New Zealand. The manuka beetle should not be eonfused with another green New Zealiml iarg efbut Sr in hut Pe • t bordered wlth red at top and rts wing-cases with white. This cockchafer is sufficiently large to be conspicuoua m the open places it frequents! In its perfect state it appears in force all through the summer from November and iWILa ' B v, cb ‘* du | b * Mr Hudson states, with « f b ?. U V our - feet * r . om the ground with a loud humming noise. If knocked down, it always falls amongst the herbage a nd is not seen readily, until a fiw moments later. The humming then is reE.^lnnd Sln i? f i! h l rmtorious cockchafer of England, which does infinite damage' this New Zealander, in i ts grub state f,as thl ofH'plants Pra « C nm e V° f feed j n R on the roots ot plants, sometimes damagimr craqs lp.K'i,3 oS , ‘ w p ‘ nk •« lnml!^ COm,n °?- grass . firub< Odontria zeaehafer, ? f tlmes r IS called the hrown G ’ a f. e 1 * n lts Perfect sjtiage. I n its un r in r f S u age aS a , w 'hite grub it lies curled of irJ= He Bro ' md ', a »d attacks the roots ot grasses and also of young trees in !w eri * ? ’ P artlc ularly Pinug insignia. Its destiuetiveness does not end there.- As an adult, brown in colour, robust in shape, and square-headed, it feeds on foliage, doing further damage in that fivrnrr =. f Sl \° U d ] )G 01 }. ,e Wing HOW, Hying at dusk, and making its presence felt by its droning The female lays her oggs in the ground. Twelve months are occupied from the laying of the egg to the appearance of the adult. In the estate nurseries at Whakarewarewa there is another chafer, about half an inch long, r e dais I i-ch es tn 11 1 in colour, which attacks seedlings of the larch trees. I live beside the Tararua Range, and have spent much time in the bush,” Mr E. Rasmussen wrote from Hukanui, near Eketahnna. “The wood pigeon, the tin, the bellbird, and the kaka are still plentiful here, but the kaka is well back on the hills. Parrakeets are rare; it is several years since I saw a pair of them, on .‘ aer first came into the block about years ago. While out hunting cattle he saw a pair of huias. He had a camp cat, which followed him in the busb all da T’. The rest of the story is somewhat painful. He shot the iqyle huia, pulled out the tail feathers, and gave the rest to the cat. He never saw another.” Mr Rasmussen asks if tbe blackbird sits on a tree-top and sings, in the same way as the song-thrush and the tui do. He has lived in or near forests all his life, and has not known the blackbird to follow that practice. The blackbird seldom sings from a tree-top; the song-thrush usually does so. The blackbird often sings in a tree or shrub, sometimes when it is flying from bush to bush. A blackbird has been heard to pour out hie mellow notes from the top of a telegraph pole in a heavy shower. Mr W. H. Hudson, one of the most graceful writers of English in these times, found the charm of the blackbird’s song in the peculiar soft, rich, melodious quality of its sound, and in the placid, leisurely manner in which it ia delivered, but adds that the great master, unfortunately, too often ends his performance unworthily with an unmusical note, or collapses ignobly at the close. To John Burroughs, an American writer it was the most _ leisurely strain he ever heard. “Amid the loud, vivacious wails-a-day chorus,” he wrote, “it has an easeful dolce far niente effect. It constantly seems to me that the songster is a learner, and has not yet mastered his art. The tone is fine, but tbe execution is laboured, the musician does not handle his instrument with deftness and confidence.” Mr Hudson summarises his criticism with the statement; “Perhaps it may be said that, of all the most famed bird eongs, that of the blackbird is the least perfect and the meet delightful.”