BIRD-CATCHING TREE

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1932, Page 2

BIRD-CATCHING TREE

SPECIMEN IN NEW PLYMOUTH. MOREPORK AMONGST VICTIMS. Described as the means of one of Nature’s cruellest tricks, a tree known as the bird-catching tree is at present flourishing in the garden of Mr. John Wheeler, Shortland Street, New Plymouth/ The tree has caught many birds in its time, but last week it excelled its past performance by capturing a morepork. The tree, which is commonly known as para-para, bears the botanical name Pisonia Rrunoniana, and is known by the Maoris as the bird-catching tree. It is a native of the northermost parts of New Zealand and some of the South Sea Islands, Mr. Wheeler having secured his specimen front the Great Barrier Island, The tree is about 15 feet high with a heavy green foliage,’and resembles the well-grown karaka tree. The method by which the birds die is one of tho cruellest possible. The seed of the tree is about an inch to one and a half inches long and is covered with a heavy gum, and they grow in clusters of 15 to 20. The bird, flies into the tree; feathers come into contact with the seed pods and it is held fast. Often the bird will not be caught immovably and after a struggle it gets away from the tree. The joints of the seed pod on the tree are very brittle, and the bird never escapes without a pod attached to whatever part came in contact. Although the bird cannot fly. properly it generally can get some distance before exhaustion overcomes it. Then it dies and as the body decomposes the seed germinates. It is only one of Nature’s methods of propagation. When the bird-cannot escape it dies on the tree and hangs there until cut down or decomposed. Mr. Wheeler .said he often pulls off -twigs with small birds on them in the mornings.;' During its life the tree has caught hundreds of sparrows, fantails, goldfinches and silver eyes. One day this week a -much larger bird, a morepork, was caught and died in hte tree. It had apparently gone to the tree to feed on the smaller' birds which were hanging there and was itself caught. An interesting feature of the seed pod is that it is slightly elastic, and as the bird struggles the pod stretches and the plant exudes fine jets of the gum, so making it more difficult for the bird to escape. ! Mr. T. H. Horton, superintendent of Pukekura Bark, said that although it was a very interesting tree, it was the means of one of Nature’s cruellest tricks. He certainly did not recommend the planting of it. There was one specimen in the park, but it was not bearing seeds this year. ’