NATIVE BIRDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13293, 23 May 1907, Page 3

NATIVE BIRDS.

WHY THEY ARE DECREASING.

As a supplement to his inquiries regarding " Our Feathered Immigrants," Mr Drummond asked his correspondents to answer certain questions regarding native birds, and from this summary of the replies we take the following : Nobody will be surprised to learn that the native birds are reported to be decreasing in nearly every district in the colony. It has been known for years that they have beaten a retreat before civilisation, but few people have realised that the retreat is so rapid and so complete as is now shown to b.i the case. The birds have disappeared altogether from some parts of the districts where they were quite numerous only a few years ago. Most of the replies sent in bear out the theory that the old avifauna, will not abide with civilisation and cannot live without the old flora. " Modern civilisation," " want of food," "want of concealment for nesting," " bush-clearing,' " rabbits, dogs, guns, cats, and stoats and weasels",are generally blamed for the decrease. '

The inquiries have failed to bring out any evidence of a determined or concerted plan on the part of the introduced, birds to attack and drive away the native birds. Sparrows and other introduced birds have been seen attacking natives, but tuis and several other species of native birds have attacked introduced birds on occasions with great ferocity. Dr. Fulton, of Dunedin, savs that the long-tailed cuckoo has done good as a " sparrow-destroyer." If the introduced birds have had any effect at all on the native birds, it is by taking possession of their food-supplies; but I hardly think that even in that direction-the effect can be very marked, as the native birds keep to the bush and the introduced birds to settlement. . The native birds, in fact, would have retreated in the same way even if English birds had not been introduced. The crime of having driven off the unfortunate natives, therefore, cannot fairly be placed at the door of the company of English birds, who have plenty to answer for in other directions. .

On' tli3 whole, the native birds do veiy little harm. Hie worst offender is the white-eye, which, by the wa.v. is not a member of the ancient New Zealand avifauna, as it is ah Australian colonist, and first came to this colony about 1856. It is veiy fond of fruit, but even its offences a"e readily forgiven. Mr G. M. Thomson states that in Dunedin tbjß year before last whiteeyes were very destructive to all kinds of fruit in the gardens and orchards, but apparently this was due to a shortage of othar food, as last year they did not take anything, although they were about the gardens the whole time. The parakeets have also been known to be very destructive on crops and fruit at certain seasons. On the whole, the-evidence shows that of all the native birds the weka is in th? best position. Its numbers throughout the whole colony seem to be increasing.