THE NATURE COLUMN.

Southland Times, Issue 17004, 30 March 1912, Page 9

THE NATURE COLUMN.

{Conducted toy “STUDENT,” to whom ail Communications must toe Addressed). “Student” win bo pleased to receive notes on any branch of Natural History. Observation of birds. Insects, plants, etc., whether native or Introduced, will be equally welcome. Correspondents must use only one side of the paper and. If using a pen-name must enclose both name and address. A NATUEE STUDENT’S NOTES. Invercargill. 16/3/12. Dear Student,:—Owing to adverse weather conditions, keeping in touch with nature lias been rather a damp pursuit of late. , Caring the latter end of January I spent a fortnight in the Longwoods. in the vicinity of Otautau and Walkouro. During this time the birch mistletoe .was in full bloom, relieving the sombrencss of the bush to some extent; although I saw a /few ironwood trees, there was no rata blossom, nor have 1 seen any elsewhere, this season, with the exception of a few scattered clumps of bloom near the coast. The rata seems to have its off season. a hillside will be a mass of scarlet, and another there will be scarcely a patch of It. This may be owing to the dryness or otherwise of the season, but I think more likely that a few seasons* luxurious flowering reduces the vitality of the tree, and consequently it takes a season's rest. In the bush, from the 15th to the 25th of January our old friend the long-tailed cuckoo was much In evidence. From before dawn, till nearly midnight they kept up their long whistle or shriek, varied at times by a shorter note repeated rapidly. They probably kept it up all night, but one must sleep, so I can’t say for certain. They were In very large numbers. but after the 23th, I neither saw nor heard one in that vicinity, though I met with odd ones In another part of the country much later. ■ Probably they had gathered there preparatory to their migratory flight.

Speaking to an Irishman, who took an Interest in what he saw during his daily work, he told me that he thought there ■were no robins left In those parts; but a day or two after, while eating a four o’clock snack (what was left of my lunch) in the bush, a couple of robins made a good meal of what I was glad to spare them. I was as greatly pleased and surprised to sea them, as was my friend the Irishman, and wo came across several more not long after. These were within some four or five miles of the nearest sawmill, and within a mile of the nearest workings. I also saw a few parrakeets—these are now getting scarce—also other birds there were, but of the more common varieties. The large number of wrens impressed me. These little green, tail-less fellows are very tame, but do not seem to lose in numbers on that account. The smallest bird we have I think, but given a decent tail, the wren would not be so insignificant. It’s a curious thing, but I never knew any small native bird but the robin, to eat dropped crumbs or fragments, of meat. I have often watched a tomtit make careful inspection of a crumb of bread, looking at it sharply, one eye after the other, head this way, head that way, and then with a flirt of his little tall he decides that it's unwholesome, and flics off to look for small flies or grubs. The fantall. Is the same, .but they seem to almost the whole of their food whilst on the wing. But the robin never hesitates, drop a morsel, and Bobby is not long in finding it good to eat. Of course the weka will eat anything, from old boots up or down. Bate last month I was in. Tuatapcre with business in the virgin bush some miles on the further side of the Waiau. The bush was very quiet, no birds singing or calling, with tho exception of the mokl or bell-bird, who is nowadays feeding on the fuschia berries. All the other birds were very quiet! I suppose on account of the long spell of wet weather, and the approach of winter. Pigeons moped on the boughs, seeming to sit for hours without a move. Even the kakas were quiet, and they're rowdy enough as a rule. Crossing the 'Waiau by tbe ferry one morning our attention was called to a weasel which was attempting to scale the rudder of one of the pontoons. It had evidently come from the further side, and the current had swept - it close to us. It soon gave up the attempt > scramble up the smooth iron, and dropped back into the water and swam strongly and gracefully to the shore wo had Just left, scrambled out on a log, shook itself in the sun, and walked off as though a swim across the Waiau were an every day occurrence. Last Monday, the 11th, I was back in the same district, it was a glorious day, baking hot, and tho place looked very different and much more pleasant than it had on my last visit. Along the roadside in tbe trees the cicadas were shrieking at tho top of their dry voices. It must be a much larger insect than that commonly found about here, indeed I could both see and hear the smaller ones - in the grass, but unfortunately I could not sec those In tho trees, but their chorus was simply deafening at times. It must bo, I think, similar to that found in the' North Island, certainly it makes as much ; noise. 'They do not seem to go into the bush any distance, but keep to the roadside. Perhaps you could tell us something about them. Also I should bo very glad of a, good guide to distinguishing the various birches (or native beeches) on sight. Could student oblige? Yours truly. - “SWAGGIEI” Yet.another locality for the robin; tho Longwoods still offer a retreat in'their wooded slopes. It is just possible that a check baa occurred in the adverse conditions which were fast leading to its extinction and that there may be a return of this most interesting bird to some, at least, of Its old haunts. If such a restocking should take place It would lend colour to the theory that disease has had a good deal to do with the decrease of the robin. The' silence of the bush birds that our correspondent noted during his stay in the-bush In' the latter part,of February was probably owing to Its being the moulting season. The end of February end the greater part of March Is the dullest time of the year in tho bush, as far as bird-song goes. In a patch of bush near my heme the thrushes are so plentiful that in the spring and sum,mer months, for most of ihe day and « especially during the evening, their song completely drowns every other bird’s notes! But this is entirely changed when autumn brings the moulting season. Except for an occasional alarm-cry onemight walk through the bush and hear DO sign of the presence of *n single thrush. But apart from the effects of the period of moulting there Is no doubt but that, atmospheric conditions have some effect on the liveliness of birds. I remember once in early spring when a sudden fall of snow came on. Before it commenced a jangle of whistling, chirping and singing was to be heard on every hand, but as the flakes began to eddy down in Increasing numbers an awe seemed to fall on the birds, and except for here and there a thrush, silence reigned. Perhaps the heredity of tho thrush still carried some sort of recollection of the more frequent snowstorms of the Homeland; Ordinary wet weather seems, to cheer up the birds, and their songs seem then to be rooro loud and frequent. The tui especially, will perch on a hare limb in the pouring rain and sing his sweetest.

I should like to set some of the cicadas front the tVaiau district which "Swagglo” speaks of. Travolilns along the bush road just after leaving the punt during the first week of February last, the chorus of these insect•; was somethin? to remember. The common cicada ■which chirps in the grass anywhere round Invercargill is but a feeble performer: the Tuatapere insects are a full bra-s'bard in compari-on. When through tb- -ame district at Xmas lime i heard nothing of them ro perhaps i; 1-. possible that the Wainu musician -, are more prene to perform towards .the -autumn. Of cour-e the common cicada (Mela.mpsr.Ua mutai is plentiful enough out wen as elsewhere. but Us song is. more interrupted a few staccato notes and then a 1 oncer' err —while the tree haunting tperi'its of Vintapere seems to utter ere long - i ; .-ir.ed round, loud and high-pirc‘.-d, i do rot think Mint it can be the l- ; .hade of the north C.t clngulal.i- j!-e scn.tr rf this ?pecl®». though ve' l ' - ■ ;i.-i 1 i ’ more Hite that of M. mutn. t •. -.-i- >f some boy or pirl in the wes’rv ■ nnvnsh ip would be kind enough to •! iwd catch a few for me. putting ti.e--. in a box with a twig or two and cfi- i inr ihem to the ••Times" Office? I si ~;i say that our cicadas are gomra;iv 1 r.o'.vn as "crickets." though they ha\e nothing in common with the cricknt» at the Old Country.

My correspondent's request for a good guide 'to distinguish the various birches at sight is not an easy one to fill, but I will do what I can. Them is a good deal of resemblance between some of tho forms and what makes matters worse Is the fact that the popular names’ of the trees seeip to be more or loss Interchangeable. For Instance, the Silver Birch is known as the Red Birch in some localities, while in others tho Black Birch Is also known as tho Bed. Then the timber of the Kamnhi (Weinmannia) when sold as firewood also goes under the name of red birch. As a matter of fact none of the trees are birches, they being all more nearly related to tho beeches. • The Sliver Beech (Nothofagu?. menclesii) has silvery bark and the young shoots are clothed with brown hairs. The leaves are about half an inch lopg, rounded or ovate, toothed along the edge and dark shining green in colour. The Red Beech (N. fusca) has leaves from ono to one and a-quarter-inchcs in length. They are somewhat oblong In shape and are thinner, more deeply toothed and of a.more vivid green than N. menziesii. The White Beech (N. ! soiandri) has whitish bark when the tree Is young, turning to black ai? it grows older. The leaves are from to "4 of an inch in length, oblong, no: toothed on tho edge, •oblique at the base and white beneath: The Mountain Beech (N. cliffortioides) resembles the White Beech except that the leaves are rounded or heart-shaped at the base. There are two other, species but as they are very ram they ipay be disregarded in the present list. The first three species are large trees and run to SO or- 100 feet In height; the Mountain Beech is small anc does not often reach half the height of the others.