Surly Demeanour.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20310, 21 May 1934, Page 6

Surly Demeanour.

Nature Notes

James Drummond, F.L.S., F.Z.S.

By

JT MIGHT BE THOUGHT that the kiwi, with its oddities, its isolation from all other birds, and its primitive characters, would make a good pet. The truth is that it is one of the worst pets possible. In captivity, usually, it is unresponsive, dour, bad-tempered, resentful of disturbance and vicious. A kiwi that lived in a Christchurch aviary for years never made friends with people. It kept itself to self. The ample food provided was taken without a sign of gratitude or appreciation. If, in efforts to stroke its hair-like plumage, it was cornered, it fought furiously. There was no doubt about the depths of its resentment. When a series of movie pictures was taken of it for screening in the United Kingdom and the United States, its rage knew no bounds. Again and again it rushed headlong at its owner, whom it knew well, sprang into the air and struck him on the legs with feet and claws, delivering blow after blow as rapidly as possible, and, all the time, angrily cracking its mandibles together. It was untameable to the last. The same experience befel Mr A. Ilansen at the Puysegur Point lighthouse, at the entrance to Preservation Inlet. He loved the native birds and kept many in his yard and in his house. They became fond of him. He found kiwis intractable and stupid. He believed that they never could be trained like other wild birds. Added to this unlovable disposition, they were troublesome on account of difficulty in feeding them. They took nothing except earthworms and insects which had to be gathered for them; and their appetites were robust. In one night one of them ate as many earthworms as could be packed into a preserved meat tin that held two pounds. It could have eaten more if more was offered, but as a rule it lived on less; had to do so, in fact. Earthworms and grubs provided were gobbled. When Mr Hansen put his hand into a hole to pull a kiwi out he received painful and severe scratches from the sharp claws. The wounds were healed with difficulty.