MUTTON BIRDING

Southland Times, Issue 18927, 28 April 1923, Page 11

MUTTON BIRDING

THE TORCHING OPERATIONS. MAORI METHODS OF CAPTURE. The titi or mutton bird season promises to provide a splendid harvest this year—the birds being in prime condition, plump and heavy, reports Messrs Cecil Hazlett and Jules Tapper, who are present cruising in Stewart Island waters. Last season, it will be remembered, the mutton birds were in very poor condition, thousands upon thousands of the young birds dying owing Io starvation. The Maori's state that this season's birds are as good, or even better than has been the case for many seasons past. Some of the parties, although late in getting on their respective islands, have already obtained a large tally of birds. Messrs Hazlett and Tapper report that on places visited last season, where the tui was in hundreds, not one is to be seen this year. This is also the case with the kaka and kuku (pigeon). But, on the other hand, the smaller bush birds are more plentiful, such as the fantail, tomtit, robin and mako-mako, while the imported finches are also numerous. The inquisitive wcka is also one of the first of the feathered tribe to make his appearance. On the 3rd of next month torching operations take place. This method of capturing the titi accounts for more birds than does the operation of digging them out of their holes. With torches, the Maoris go out at night and in lhe early hours of the morning, and then find the titi out of their burrows exercising their wings and limbs preparatory to their long migratory flight to other lands. This method would be good practice for a football team, as it is one great scramble in the. darkness to catch- the birds with many a trip and a slip over the logs, bogs and creepers. Two 45-minute spells at football would be much easier than a night’s torching. The authordox Maori method, when once the titi is captured, is to place the bird under his arm so as to stop the vigorous flapping of its wings, then to seize the crown of its head with his teeth and crush same, after which thX titi takes the count. On many occasions the titi gets in first with its powerful beak and many a Maroi comes out of the combat minus a piece of skin from off his nose or face. The numerous islands have always well defined tracks, cut. and cleared in all directions and the birds, in bundles of six or a dozen when killed, a.e placed on the tracks from where they are collected and brought to the plucking whares, where they undergo many handlings to be finally placed in kelp bags and kits in the form best known to purchasers in the city. During a night’s torching many mistakes take place, such as encircling one’s arm around a plump old penguin—a peck from whose bill in the darkness soon reminds one that he has captured something in the shape of a moa. Messrs Hazlett and Tapper hope to be first to land a trout with rod and line in Stewart Island, as they have their rods with them and intend fishing tho Freshwater River and other streams .that run into the head waters of Paterson’s Inlet, as during their numerous visits to these places they are of lhe opinion that trout arc located in these waters, as trout ova was liberated there many years ago.