NOTES ON CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 87

NOTES ON CORRESPONDENCE.

Mr Sprott thanks " Ornithologist " and " Old Boy "' for information supplied, and wants information on a bird be- describes. Can any reader oblige* Perhaps some North Islaiwfers can assist v Ornifcbotegist " in this case. "Kbwhai" refers to the kowJiai being in bloom; but better still, he is able to turn -up a note showing when it bloomed last year. Ia 4» hoping that there are now c few niore readers who are making daily' notes on Nature. • Th« specimens bVingr sent to be identified -will be referred to next week, all being •well. A suggestion made by "Sou±W*nder " will be adopted in a week or two. Has no oae anything to say about the bresdng of Australian tarns birds that have obtained their freedom here? CORRESPONDENCE. Momona, August 16. M P** r , , Hagwter.' —I hay« to thaakOriutbologist' and "Old Boy" for their couitesy in supplying information concerning thß minaii. P also remember having seen the<">» birds -in numbers on the Bluff Ball at Napier early in January of ttfais year. During *he whale of \a,st winter they frequenied our tent "on the outskirts of Bftnaevirke. The> are extremely garrulous birds, and eh utter inoeseaufly. On the 14th November last, at Waikopiro, I saw a minah carrying nwl-eaial for a nest. A bushman informed my brothers and I that they build in holes in trees after tKe manner of starlings. He also infor-ned us that if the minah observes anyone examining its ne3t it will irnms<liately vacate it. He says that thia is in direct contrast to the habits of the faatail, •which will no-t deeert its nest, bo matter Ji-cw many intruders there may be. When at Waikopiro we often used to watch " the kingfisher sit with folded wings" on the back ->i tba Mans.wfl.lu River. They are fairty numerous there. There was another bird ■whose identify I oon!d not establish. It was perhaps, rather larger than a thrush. Its back feathers wore of a greenish colour, breast feathers lighter, and covered with dark- spots. Tbft wings were long-, extending almo&t ■to tfee end of - the tail. It ba« a curiously pathetic whistle, .repeated several •tini-ss in quick racces»i<m. It is a shy, lonely bird, ana 1 though I repeatedly heard" its loud, melancholy v.Mstle, T saw the bird itself only twice, and upon each occasion it- was in the ■brnshw<3©d fringing the edge of lbs Msnuwata River at Waikopiro. Can " Orotfibok^ist " or any other reader identify this bird for me? On Angu<rt 30 of laet year ttc saw a ntrmbsr of white heads a-t Waikopiro. They a*e pretty little bird*. »"bout the size and slsaw of a canary, with brownish-coloured fea-thers on the back, breast feathers of a lighter colour, and heeds alnnet pure white. We also saw a number of Tifleo>en at "Wsilcodtto. These little creatures are a study. I love te watch them. Tfcey sure so quick in all tb*fr vaovemenie. and look ■so curious, with toils only about half an inch in lenirth. On Decembsr 21. of 1908. mv brother and I paw a t«ir of riflemen building a nest . in a hole i* a toee near ■whera- we wer* wcrHn?. We revived to keep it under obeervstion. but, unfortunately, a protracted psricd of wet weather was experi«ueed about this time, and ike little architects abandoned their ne«t before b was half constructed.— Yours- teulv. Huch Wilso» Spbott. Dnnedin. Augurt 11. Dear " MagUter,"— Being- ' an interested readsr of your cnlumn, I noticed kstweeJr that Cicely Tytsdan was writing about kowtori blooming in July. About three weeks ago* when InMinour garden ■* Hoouer'* inlet, my attention was attracte* by ttto n©t« of the tui in the twn. so I immediately toofced round to » kowhai tree <m *be b*nk in front of tlie g»rd«n, and noticed it was i» ruH bloom : and <m referring to a not* taken J*st year- the- same tcee was in full bloom on July, 5. I*** Sunday I noticed tb»* several other trees w«r« in bloom, and had the ■pleasure" ot hearinr the tui'» beautiful notes for • considerable tins* that moraiTi*.— • Yours sincerely, Kowhai. WOLFE'S SCHNAPPS is better than w&iaky and far safer.