NATURE—AND MAN

Southland Times, Issue 22489, 25 January 1935, Page 12

NATURE—AND MAN

DANGER OF DRIFT. PERIL OF PROCRASTINATION

(Edited by Leo Fanning.) Be wise to-day; ’tis madness to defer: Next day the fatal precedent will plead; Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. . Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene. Edward Young.

Those lines appeared in the schoolreaders of my boyhood. How many millions read them throughout the British Empire? How many thousands heeded them. There is an old saying as old as humanity—“it is human to err.’’ It is also human to defer. It usually takes a great disaster to bring in a great reform. For example, New Zealand’s present economic position is mainly due to procrastination in measures to arrest the drift into debt. Farsighted men predicted trouble long before the so-called “slump” was signalled, but they were denounced as “Jeremiahs,” cranks and freaks. In many directions one sees the country suffering the penalties of drift. Deer were allowed to multiply enormously in the native forests long after wise scientists and other expert observers foretold the huge damage which those alien animals would inflict. Of course, the peril is seen now after much of the predicted ruin has been done, and a war of extermination has begun against the pests—but will a strong agitation of deer-devotees cause a lapse into drift later on? Long decades ago the folly of clearing away the native cover on high watersheds was stressed by many writers and speakers, but the importance of insuring against erosion is not yet sufficiently recognized by politicians. The ytend to take the line of least resistance which may be the line of greatest nuisance from the viewpoint of national welfare. The Curse of the Common Cat

Another glaring case of drift is in the lack of control of the common cat —a pest which is increasing in cities, towns, villages and over wide stretches of country, including bush. Occasionally there is an outcry against stray cats, which are a menace to human health, as the animals carry the germs of some deadly diseases from place to place, but soon the demonstration eases off—and the cats go on multiplying. How long will this drift continue? When will the men in positions of power take effective action.

The common cat, as an enemy of birds, has been under fire in recent issues of the “Nature Magazine” (published by the American Nature Association). Here is the frank confession of one contributor, a cat-lover:— "I have always owned cats and they have invariably displayed above-the-average intelligence—of course. They have always been well fed, well brushed and as thoroughly spoiled as the proverbial only child. But their numerous virtues have never blinded me to their several faults, and many a spanking has been administrated to a stalking culprit. How many bird casualties have actually occurred I have no means of knowing as I have not catwalked with them each moment of their freedom.

“My brother once owned a little coonangora cat which adored being harnessed to a small and specially constructed cart, and with plumed tail erect and purr turned on full strength, would follow her master anywhere, sure _of her reward of a bit of, cheese or a juicy olive, both favourites with her. But she climbed trees! And she stalked birds! Yet we sincerely and earnestly, in every way we knew, attempted to safeguard the birds that occupied our huge maples and other trees.” Natural Food for Birds. How many bird-lovers intended last year to plant shrubs and trees which would yield nectar or berries for native birds, but finally forgot or postponed that important matter? “We all know we should do something, but we don’t do it,” remarked one of the postponers —a resident of Hastings—to me recently. He mentioned how easily the mako-mako tree (known as the wineberry) could be raised in many districts. The fruit is loved by native pigeons and other birds. Will the procrastinators be true to themselves and the birds this year? In every district there are experts who will give the right advice about suitable shrubs and trees. In any case the New Zealand Native Bird (and Forest) Protection Society (Box 631, Wellington) will be pleased to supply correct information to an inquirer. Intelligence of Birds. Some of the accredited stories of intelligence of birds seem “too good to be true,” particularly to people who do not spend much time in observation of the life of “lower creatures.” Here is a story by Effie Rea in “Nature Magazine”:— . “One day I was resting on an oldfashioned sofa under a window shaded by a clump of lilac bushes. As I lay perfectly still, I noticed a Baltimore oriole tugging away underneath the bushes, trying to lift a damp, mudspattered piece of grosgrain ribbon. This had been discarded by our pet cat, who disdained such ornamental trappings. “Finally the little thing flew awav. and I thought she had abandoned her attempt to lift the heavy ribbon. But, no! In less than fifteen minutes she was back, with her own mate and another pair of orioles. Each took hold of the ribbon, so that the weight was equally divided; and then flew away in perfect unison! “A few weeks later, during cherry picking time, my two brothers and I were up a tree, when we spied the nest. Our cat’s ribbon was used to bind it to a crotch in a branch. It was done evenly and artistically, through nest and over branch, over and over, till the nest was securely fastened. And hanging at each side, as if for adornment, were even ends of the ribbon. The brood had grown and flown away. But one little, unhatched egg remained for us to treasure with the nest.”