IN TOUCH WITH NATURE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13910, 13 March 1909, Page 3

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE.

OWLS. (By James Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.Sj There is hardly a race in the world, barbarous or civilised, ancient or modern, that has not associated the owl with misfortune and death. From remote ages to our own times poets have taken as much delight in decrying the owl as in singing the praises of the lark. It is always the "boding owl," the "moping -owl," the "doleful owl," the "hooting owl," or the "screeching owl." "Out upon ye owls, nothing but songs of death," said Richard the Third to the messengers who brought him tidings of bad news. "I am « companion of owls," Job said when he made a phrase to express the utter depths of his misery. It was an oav! that warned Herod Agrippa, who was eaten alive by worms, of his awful fate. An owl ,on a housetop at Carthage predicted the death and* desertion of Dido. Before Caesar fell, the "bird of ni^hf sat in the market-place, hooting and shrieking. An. owl shrieked arid «ay "the sternest good-night" to LaOy Macbeth when Duncan was murdered . Hiawatha cried out in terror when he heard^ the midnight owls ''hxmi,g. laughing in the forest*" Owls wer the vilest creatures with which Tennyson could compare his critios: While I live, the Owls; When I die, the Ghouls. j

The owl's unfortunate ory,- peculiarly noiseless and mysterious fight, roctuinal habits, \ and - large, staring ejes. placed straight in. front of its|he*4, instead of at the sides, may Ijave given rise to the disfavour in which it is almost universally held, and Miinn it has done absolutely nothing to ceseivc. New Zealand's owls are amongst -the fe'fr that have # escaped very bitter odium. The prejudice is not as strong here as it is tin the Old Country, but hative*owls are not quite free from h. So New Zealander regards, the "morepork," for instance, with the same feelings that he extends towards other native birds. . The. appearance df a fcui, a bell-bird, a robin, a fantail, or ilmbst any other native oird except a hawk, raises happy thoughts in the Tiind. Those biros are assdfeiated with joy and brightness./ The presence of an owl excites none of those feelings. "It is only a silly owl, blinking ip the sun," is the thought that arises*. Nobody stops to admire ft, and if it is not pelted with a\ stone it is usually passed by in contempt. When English birds were first introduced into New Zealand, a foolish cry was raised that the "morepork" was raiding 1 them. Its ways are not their ways, and, as it gets ample supplies of I food amongst rats and mice, and moths, beetles and other insects jn the forests, it does not trouble much about the small bird nuisance, and its depredations on the pampered interlopers did not cause great damage. It was felt however, that a crusade was justified, and the "morepork" was persecuted whenever it came out of its dark* places amongst the trees. People now regret that its numbers have been reduced, and they regard it as a failure because it does not hold the small birds in check. Apparently, it can do nothing right. Fl/ > J

For an owl, the "morepork" is a small ,bird. Its soft' fluffy feathers, make It look larger than it is. It has a round, bullet-shaped f head, large wrings, strong, brown, rufous-spotted plumage. It is sometimes seen out ix the open, bu£ when, it fe "at home" in the day-time it is usually sitting on j the limb of •» tree in the gloomiest part of the forest, evidently lost in thought and contemplation. Birds, as well. a? human beings, have an instinctive dislike for owls, and New Zealand owls are no better off in this respect than owls in other countries. The "morepork" has no bird friends! Not a l>ird of the forest e'er mate^ with him. ' ' t

1 All mock him outright by day; But at night ; when the woods grow «til] and dim t . The boldest will shrink away.

The Rev. W. Coienso has described a battle between a "morepark" and a large number of small native birds. As 3oon as the small birds discovered the owl's retreat, under the fronds' of a tree-fern, the battle began. The inces sant noise made by the small birdt brought allies from; all quarters, and a large cloud of angry feather tighten had soon gathered .'around - the tree. They were filled witji rage, and they were so intent upon insulting their enemy that they lost all sense of. fear and were quite regardless of the presence of a human being. They often ! flew clos© up to the owl, but never laid hold of it, or it with theii beaks, and it defied them until they were tired out by, their efforts.

The Maoris seem to - have had somf kind of regard for the "inorepork." They did not join in its persecution. When Hone Heke and KaWiti attackec the Europeans in the-JSay of Island; the Maoris used t)iis c owl's cry as t means of. communication. The parties as they moved to their/ positions near I the block-houses and the towns before daybreak, imitated . the 'fmorepork' hoot, so that they might, lgt, theii friends kilow their movements 1 / T}u Buitish sentries were bo. accustomed* tc hearing' the owl's, cry that they to'rik nq /notice of the faxnili&r sound:.'. Thst cry, of course, has only a" fanciful resemblance to the. words '/more pprk/' A better interpretation migh^; be foutv^ in "Oh-h-h, dear!". ; - It is mourhfu" and monotonous, ai^d can" be'imitatb/ almost to perfectioh^by pursing up the lips, into the shape or a' "ring anr whistling from the roof of the mouth There are two. notes, and tn'e first islightly lnor.e prolonged than the se . cond. Mrv Edison,' Best ipforms f i\v that,' 'acCprding to, the '.beliefs v l of tb' people . of ! Tulioe' Land ;r ' in " th^ v NortliIsland, .two .'owls, named J£.ahrr anc s Kau, frequdrit the f orest % ajb tT» Pu renga, Rua-toki.. ,Both • are ' albinos and both. are That is, the are endowed with supernatural p<nvers and/ predict 'the illness' or. w fruitfulness of approaching seasons. T* the\two owls appear when a person wIt 1 has an ancestral right to the lands hf pins jbo set his bird-snares in the foros+ the season wi|l be fruitful. If the om-!< have' not appeared by the time tlia+ the first bird is snared, there will be p lean season.

The "mor6pork" was given $>t> honourable positfcn in the Bflttfr of the Birds, an interesting chap-

ter in Maori mythology. A land bird and a sea bird fell into a dispute over some feeding grounds. All the birds in creation! were dragged into the quarrel. After tiio* forces had been arrayed there came a great army of sea birds, sweeping grandly from one siue i of the heavens to the other, and maki ing a terrible noise with their wings and throats. They made a furious charge. In the front rank came the lordly albatross, the gannet and the gull, swooping down with mighty wings, The land birds were led by the river birds, which came on in close phalanx and dashed bravely into the face of the foe. Blood flowed and feathers'" flew. At last the sea birds first gave way and then fled in confusion. The harrierhawk sailed down upon them, pursuing and killing, and the sparrow-hawk dashed in and out amongst them, tearing and ripping, The owl could not take an active part in the fray, because it could not see. well in the light, but it added to the terror and panic of the sea birds with its insulting discordant note of derision: "Thou art brave! Thou art victors!"