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Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 46

The deer-culling party which the Southland Acclimatisation Society sent to Stewart Island last month met with little success (says the Southland Times), and in a fortnight the party secured only an average of one head per day. Weather conditions were not favourable, and the party came to the conclusion that deer were not so numerous on the island as had been stated. The chief difficulty in carrying out culling operations was that there was an abundance of feed available in the bush to maintain the deer for years, and the deer had no occasion to come out to the open country to -feed. These facte were contained in a report submitted by the society’s ranger to the last meeting of the council. While the report was under discussion, several members referred to the serious effect that the rapid multiplication of rats and wild cats had had on the native bird life of the island

The modified form of summer-time adopted last year, consisting of an extra 30 minutes daylight, came into operation on Sunday morning, when, in the terms of recent legislation, New Zealand standard time was advanced by half an hour. The change is one that will possibly pass unnoticed by a great many people, particularly in view of the fact that the last two years have robbed it of its novelty. Nevertheless it will be readily appreciated by most people engaged in seasonal sports as well as the hobby of gardening, and city communities will be able to enjoy the extended daylight it brings without feeling that the farmer and his family are paying too dearly for the better recreation facilities the towns enjoy. Although many farmers would like to see daylight saving abolished, most of them consider that the half-hour provision is not unreasonable, or likely to be productive of any great inconvenience.

With the coming of summer it is possible that the nightingale’s song will again be heard in or near Auckland (says the New Zealand Herald). Several birds brought from England by Mr Angus Wilson were liberated at Tamaki on Christmas Day, 1927. In the following summer they were heard in the vicinity of St. Heliers, and on three occasions from October to December, 1929, in the nearer suburbs'—twice at Mount Eden and once at Remuera. There has been no further sign of them in Auckland, but a Hawke’s Bay paper recently reported that some Hastings residents had been entertained by a bird which perched on the bough of a tree about 11.15 p.m. and gave a delightful repertoire of trilling songs for about a-quarter of an hour. One of the listeners was convinced that the bird was a nightingale. The birds are migratory, and one could easily have found its way to Hawke’s Bay.