BIRD LIFE.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13413, 10 May 1912, Page 3

BIRD LIFE.

A HOME OF NATIVE BIRDS

It h::s been pointed out several times during tho past .few years that exaggerated statements have been made in regard to tho extinction of several Bp-ecies of native birds, and very convincing evidence- that a wrong impression has been conveyed is supplied by Mr. C. L. M'Coll, of Amodeo Bay, Coro- j mandel Peninsula. "I am sure," he says, that if some of the bird-lovers who deplore the decrease of the tui wero to cotno into this district at the present time they would get a pleasant surprise. Here tuis are simply innumerable, and tho air is-filled with their gleeful song, especially in the mornings and the evenings. I counted thirty in ono dry tariri tree. At the same time thore are dozens —in fact, I might, without exaggeration, say hundreds — in other trees and flying around. I think that the abundance of tuis here is accounted for by the groat food supply. Strange ,to say, their food is not indigenous, as these- birds-aro eating the seeds of tho ink-weed, a plant that thrives" wonderfully hero. It is so abundant that it is a peat. As soon as settlers fell and burn the bush this plant is up. before tho grass seed, and covers at least half the ground, choking out the- grass and growing vigorously for j several years. Pigeons, kakas, crows, fantails, groy warblers, kingfishers, and morepork owls are still fairly plentiful, with odd parrakeets, robins and longtiled cuckoos about, but bell-birds have not been heard for several years. As we live on the sea coast, it goes without saying that soabirds are extremely numerous."