THE PARADISE DUCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 61

THE PARADISE DUCK.

ACTIVITY OF ITS ENEMIES.

Sir Thomas Mackenzie has just completed a month’s travelling in the remoter parts of Otago and Southland, having gone from the Waitaki to the extreme south, and from the interior to the coast, taking in the Waiau, Manapouri, Te Anau, Wakatipu, and Ilawea, and from there to the Gatlins district. Although Sir Thomas is interested in all native birds, his chief object in this visit was to ascertain how the Paradise ducks are faring. “ I may say,” remarked Sir Thomas to a reporter on Friday, “ that throughout the whole of my trip I did not meet with more than 100 of the birds. Evidently they are becoming very scarce. I was told by runholders and farmers that the number of enemies the ducks now have to encounter puts it almost beyond their power of reproduction to maintain their numbers. There are the stoat, the weasel, and the hawk, as well as poisoning, and added to these is the sportsman’s gun, and it appears, therefore, only a matter of time when the birds will be extinct —as extinct as they are in the North Island, where in former years they, were to be found in thousands.

“ I was told that the worst enemy is the visitor in the motor car, who slips about from place to place. The birds are accustomed to the farmers passing i: their cars, and have become quite at home, because they are not touched. But the visiting motorists come along and secure the birds. I rode within 20 yards of some ducks before they rose. The motorists usually shoot the duck first. The drake is so devoted to his mate that, as a rule, he will not leave her, and therefore the drake is taken with the second shot. Many of these people shoot out of season. I know of two men from Australia who went to the Mackenzie Country "in their car with guns, and potted several of the birds on the way. The famflies to whom they gave the birds told uk of this occurrence. In America the motor tourists are limited in their excursions, even in the shooting season, so that they may not po. birds and thin them out.

“ Though the bird is called a duck, it really belongs to a much higher natural order,” added Sir Thomas. “Captain Cook was strongly attracted by its beauty, and called it ’ the painted duck.’ I* - is a splendid feature in the landscape, and adds considerably to tire interest of our back country districts. It is a most beautiful bird, with a proud and noble bearing. The farmers to whom I spoke are calling out for more sanctuaries, and asking that the bird be not placed on the list for sportsmen to shoot” “It may be of interest to describe some of its habits. _?he bird pairs for life, with few exceptions. The one exception I have ever heard of was mentioned to me by Mr Richard Henry, the naturalist, who dwelt so long on Resolution Island. He had under observation a pair that were in possession of that portion of the island where he lived. The birds were challenged by a visiting pair, and a battle royal ensued. The result was embarrassing. The visiting drake was conquered by the local drake, out t'-e local duck was beaten by the visiting duck. Mr Henry watched to see .what would result. The conquering duck made advances to the local drake, which at first were rejected. After a time, however, natural selection had its sway, and the drake took the visitor to wife. The two defeated birds then flew away, and took up their home elsewhere. I had seme of these dueks about my Allan Grange property before I went to England. They bred and flew about. I hat. two duck., (sisters) and one drake. The drake selected one for a ‘mate, and whilst he was so mated the other duck wore the appearance of a poor, despised, and rejected individual. One season, when the favourite duck was nesting, a v easel must have attacked.her, because I found her lying dead on the nest, with the drake apparently dead beside her. I had difficulty in bringing him round. He remained a widower for three or four months, and then mated with the other duck.”

“ I notice that there has been a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society - in Dunedin, at which it was decided to limit the sportsman’s bag to 25 birds. I sincerely hope that the society is not going to attempt to move the Government to have Paradise dueks placed on the open list. Parliament has decided that these birds shall be on the permanently protected schedule. There is, however, a provision in the Act that the GovernorGeneral may, by Order-in-Council, transfer any bird from the permanently protected list to the open list. This provision was meant to provide for an unexpected increase of any particular bird that might threaten damage, and was not intended to apply to a diminishing species such as that I am dealing with. I have twice succeeded in carrying through the Legislative Council a Bill to delete this provision, maintaining that what the Legislature has determined should not be altered by any Order-in-Council. A few years ago some dozens of young Paradise ducks were taken out of season by dogs and other means when they were unable to fly, and the flocks, of birds have never recovered from that raid. Before it is too late, I feel it is the duty of New Zealanders to do all they can to try to preserve the rare and unique birds of these islands. Posterity will hold us in great scorn if it comes to see that,

at this time, the residue might have been saved, yet was not. To the great regret of the American people many species of birds have become extinct, and the States are now doing what they can to protect the remaining species. In New Zealand there is a society called the Native Birds Protection Society, of which I am president, Sir George Fenwick and Sir Douglas M’Lean being vicepresidents, and Captain Sanderson secretary, which is doing much to preserve our birds. lam sure that the people, and especially young people, only require to have the necessity of such action pointed out to them to ensure that our birds shall be preserved to us.”