ANIMAL AND BIRD LIFE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 13, 7 September 1912, Page 7

ANIMAL AND BIRD LIFE.

TV SOUTHERN SEAS.

An account of the voyage of the Aurora is contributed to the Christchurch papers by Mr Edgar R. Waite, curator of the Canterbury Museum. Mr Waite has made some very interesting notes regarding the sea elephants found at the Macquarie Islands. “The hull elephants when fully adult arc much larger than the cows, and they are so scarred and disfigured with fighting that it would be impossible to obtain what might bo termed a perfect specimen. In selecting an animal for the Canterbury Museum several factors had to be considered. The first was accessibility, and I may mention that four men were employed in carrying the skin of the animal secured from the tussocks to the whaleboat. The skull and limb bones were of course included. Operations bad to he carried on rapidly, for the captain was anxious lest a change of wind should prevent the boat getting back to the ship. One naturally wanted to obtain as large a specimen as was convenient, and at the same time secure one as little disfigured as possible. It would seem that combativencss is first developed as play fullness, the young ones thus acquiring practice for their fierce battle of life. This fighting propensity is so common that it may be witnessed anywhere, both on land and in the water. The. bulls thus engaged approach each other, and, being immensely heavy and ponderous, the combat is somewhat slow but very earnest. A bull will raise itself so that more than half its body is erected from the ground, and then, backed by a ton or more in weight, lunges itself forward, striking its opponent with, teeth exposed. It is then its rival’s turn, and so the fight goes on, with the accompanying of loud bellowing and grunting, until one of the combatants has had sufficient for the time lading. One secs long, gaping bleeding wounds in their sides, or great sears, the results of previous conflicts; or the damage may he much more serious. I saw several animals with hut one eye, and I felt inclined to end the sufferings of one poor brute, the eyeless socket of which was a festering cavity. Another bull and a moderately young one had lost the greater part of its lower jaw, while 1 saw one with nearly the whole of one paddle torn off. Bird Life. “Wekas, or Maori hens, imported from New Zealand many years ago, have multiplied to such an extent as to ho incidence everywhere along the beaches, and equally unmindful of the presence of man] as in their original home. Many were knocked over by our party wit);.sticks. They arc very small, what one might call ‘weedy,’ and dark in colour. The black backed and mackerel gulls are identical with those of New Zealand. At Auckland Islands. “The party reached the Auckland Islands on June 24th, after a very stormy .trip. As thjs. u'as my. iisrd visit to the Aucklanjd I , was quite familiar with the animals and bMs,, and my visit to the Macquaries enabled me to appreciate the difference in the varying components of the fauna, , ‘ 1 1 - Tha Sea Lion. “The most casual observer would notice the striking distinctions between the sea elephant of Macquarie and the sea lion of the Auckland Islands. The former is much larger, has no external ears, and is incapable of moving the hind limbs or flippers out of the general direcion of the body. It is consequently greatly restricted in its motion on land. The sea lion, of which the cow is sometimes called the sea bear, can bring the hind limbs beneath the body in a forward direction, and can thus move more like an ordinary quadruped, and at such speed as to make one sure (here Is good ground For retreat before venturing too near his marine majesty. The sea elephant is heavy, docile, and adverse to making more demonstration than that of opening its mouth .and barking at an intruder, but the more active sea lion will rush at a man in quite an alarming fashion. In one part of the hush 1 chanced across some partially digested food. It consisted entirely of the remains of cuttle-fishes, the beaks, which are the only hard portions being as though quite fresh. Associated with the food was a mass of pebbles, which were evidently swallowed to aid digestion, much after the manner of birds. I may mention that the stbniach of the sea elephant which we obtained at the Macquarie Islands contained no food, but several pounds’ weight of small shingle, and, already mentioned, Mr Hamilton finds that these animals also feed upon cuttlefishes, a somewhat significant fact. Ercderby Island. “The Aurora herself anchored off Enderhy Island. While pigs are found on the main island, the only introduced animals met with on the islands are gnats, cattle and rabbits. The latter may he said to veritably swarm on Enderby Island, and hero we availed ourselves of the opportunity to obtain a supply to .provide the ship with fresh flesh, the only food innocent of ‘tin’ wo had since leaving the Australian coast six weeks previously. Though we saw thousands upon thousands of rabbits, only two examples were encountered of the yellow nr buff-coloured of the wild rabbit. Two or three black ones were seen, all the others being silvergrey, in some of which were white, while in others black hairs predominated. Of the examples obtained, two wore interesting in having the tips of the oars and the end of (he tail buff or yellow. In all the head was the darkest colour, being nearly black in some specimens.”