NEW ZEALAND'S MYSTERY BIRD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23400, 15 January 1938, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND'S MYSTERY BIRD

\#% THE NOTORNIS f■■ i" ■? F By B. Magee In remote and untrodden areas of Hew Zealand's bush and f Lordland—where Mother Nature is more familiar to the denizens than man—there is a secret ornithologists fain would wrest from them. At intervals, few and far between, the rare bird Notornis, has strutted into human ken. . Ninety years ago it was, like the fciant New Zealand native bird the ttioa, regarded as among the extinct species of the world's interesting birds. Thirty years elapsed before the Notornis gave evidence. that it persisted in living despite the authoritative pronouncements that it had ceased to be. Then it withdrew into its seclusion fOr; another .30 \years and emerged again to confound a new generation of bird-lovers. Only, four specimens of: the Notornis are preserved. Two are in the British Museum, another is in the Dresden Museum in Germany, and the third and best specimen occupies an honoured place in the Dunedin Museum. The bird was known to the Maoris as "Takahe." Like several New Zealand birds—the kakapo, the kiwi, and 'the weka—the Notornis disregarded the law of Nature, " Use or lose." These birds, fearing no enemies when the country was in. its virgin state, failed to use the wings Nature gave them. The result of disuse atrophied them, and the Notornis became a flightless bird. "When civilised man took possession of "the country and introduced ferret, cats, dogs, and other enemies of the feathered tribe, the flightless birds of New Zealand became their prey. '.;-»>> ■ ''".' • Some of the species have become, or are nearly extinct, while in remote parts specimens continue to survive—how long is a problem Nature :iovers are at a loss to determine "<. .unless Government measures can be made effective. The Notornis is smaller goose. It; has a large bill of the colour of h6rh; while its bright, red legs are f scaly and substantial. The plumage-iis very striking—the breast of-dark 1 blue being beautiful; the neck, head, abdomen, and parts of the legsithat are not scaly deepen to a duller shade of blue, OUve.green adds variety to the' wings and tail, and pure white feathers cluster below the bird's short tail, The rear and hind views of tne bird present contrast of a very striking kind. When the bird is looked in the face the colour scheme is most pleasing. . The rear view presents a mass of white feathers as the bird's most conspicuous possession. ' in 1847 a Government official, Mr Mantell, in his exploration, work found in the volcanic ash near a river in Taranaki, North Island, bones of astrange bird.,These were sent to London to Sir Richard Owen for his opinion. He gave the rare specimen the name of Notornis Mantelli, out of compliment to the discoverer. This was a Notornis o£ the North Island .of New Zealand. The specimens found in the South Island were named Notornis Hocnstetteri;) after Dr 'Ferdinand von Hochstetter, who came to New Zealand about 80 years :ago,.m the Austrian exploration vessel Novara. iie worked on the early, classification of New Zealand birds. -? ■• ■ **. A couple of years after Mr Man- : tell found the bones of a Notornis he was fortunate in respect of hiving obtained the skin of a live speciSeVof the bird-though unfortunate in failing to secure the bird in its entirety. The live bird was caught in Dutch Cove, Dusky Sound, lnthe South Island, by some sealers. They were ignorant of its onuthological value. As an article oi diet they found it palatable, and ate its .flesh. Mr Mantell, however, secured' its skin; which he preserved. Shortly after this some Maoris captured one of the birds, and Mr Mantell was able to procure this specimen for preservation. Both are now treasured possessions in the British Museum. Having thus stimulated man's curiosity regarding it, the Notornis withdrew itself into the seclusion of the forest>and mountain fastnesses of the laWe and sound country for 30 years", After three decades during, which'no sign of the rare bird was seen, bird lovers arrived at the conclusion that the last specimen, of the Notornis had been seen, and that its memory would, like the moa, be perpetuated in museums and by the written word in the history of ornithology. ,•. ■ - . In- 1879,' however, the Notornis confounded the authorities by making is reappearance. This specimen was. caught by a rabbiter's dog at Lake Te Anau, in Southland. The bird was alive when the dog brought it to the rabbiter, but he wrung its neck. Fortunately, he mentioned the matter to the manager of the Hawkinson sheep run. bn which the capture was made, saying his dog caught a bird different from the others that abounded in the area. The manager of the run, piqued by curiosity regarding its identitv. obtained information as to where he had put the remains. He went to the spot and retrieved the remains, which he recognised as those of the Notornis/ .'.■'; .<,,;'.'<•■ v.;:, The wife of a Sydney professor of zoology, herself interested in the scientific pursuit of her husband, had been spending a holiday in the district. She had left some preservative for bird carcasses behind her. This the manager secured and was successful in preserving the specimen with it. The discovery excited great interest in naturalist circles When it" was submitted later in London for competition Oscar Lobel, of Dresden, secured it for the museum of that city for 100 guineas. Though it is guarded there with great care, New Zealand visitors who have seen it in recent years say that, like the specimens in London, it; has faded greatly with the lapse of the years. For 20 more years the Notornis evaded the sight of man. Notwithstanding the fact that untrodden valleys were being explored- and stupendous mountain ranges interposing their huge bulk were being scaled by mountaineers, the Notornis was never encountered. In 1898, however, two brothers who were camped on the shores of Lake Te Anau heard the note of a bird quite unfamiliar to them. In the evening one of the men was sauntering along the lake shore when his dog made a dash into the bush. On being recalled by its master it had in its mouth a strange bird, still alive. The two brothers realised that they had made a rare capture. They went down the lake with the bird and despatched it to the nearest town, Invercargill. A leading authority there identified it as a Notornis—the best specimen that had yet been found. The New Zealand Government purchased It for £250. This Notornis finds an honoured place in the museum at Dunedin. This was the last specimen found. If the bird is not absolutely extinct it is due for' a reappearance, as nearly 40 years have elapsed

since the last capture. The only male bird is one of the London specimens. In view of the possibility of the Notornis being still in existence it is protected absolutely under an Act, of Parliament. Heavy penalties will be imposed on anyone found in possession of the bird, its skirt, feathers or eggs. Remarkable circumstances regarding the Notornis are that a pair has never been seen, neither has an egg of the species ever been found. Interest was stimulated in the question in 1925 by the report of a man in charge of a Government launch on Milford Sound. He said he had seen a bird similar to the illustrated Notornis a few feet away from him. Nothing further came, however, to encourage the hope thta the,rare Notornis still survives