SWANS AND GEESE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 437, 5 July 1915, Page 11

SWANS AND GEESE.

In the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, volume x xxiv., page 172, there is to be found an interesting paper on "Moa Gizzard-Stones" by the late Mr A. Hamilton, in which he describes the finding of large'numbers of gizzard-stones of the moa on the elevated plateau of Swampy Hill, in the neighbourhood of Dunedin. The stones were found to be closely compacted together in a ball-shaped mass in the peat, and were. of all sizes, from those less than a pea to those larger than a pigeon's egg. After the mass of stones had been carefully picked out of the surrounding peat and washed, they turned the scales at 4ilb. In another collection made the mass of stones weighed 61b. In the window of Messrs Coates and Co., Colombo Street, there is to be seen another collection, showing the difference between the gizzardstones, of teeth, as they might be called, of a domestic goose, and the native black swan from Lake Ellesmere. Those belonging to the goose were collected by Mr S. C. Parr, between 30 and 40 years ago, when he went to Temuka with some young trout. While visiting the late Mr' Nicolson —who was carried out to sea and drowned some few years back —a goose was killed, and Mr Parr, being interested in natural history, procured the contents of the gizzard. Mixed up* with numerous small stones is to be seen a collar stud, a small staple, two tops of buttons or studs, numerous pieces of glass, and other hard substances, which all go to show that the goose is certainly not particular what it swallows. The contents of the swan's gizzard is quite different, perhaps owing to locality, or the/nature of its diet, and is composed'of fine sand and small stones, with a few hard seeds,-and some lead shot, which last was most probably the cause of.it's early decease.