Scientist’s Thrill In Studying Notornis

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 January 1949, Page 5

Scientist’s Thrill In Studying Notornis

WELLINGTON, Last Night (PA). —A quaint creature of Old World i habits that would not rapidly adapt | itself to the modern spirit ot competition—this is how Dr. R. A Falla, director of the Dominion Museum, sums un his first, impression of New . Zealand’s notornis, the bird that scientists until two months ago considered extinct. At the request of the Internal Affairs Department, Dr. Falla has been observing the notornis colony at Te • Anau. He returned to Wellington this week-end. “The notornis is unusual for a start in that he inhabits country that would normally be regarded as unsuitable for the support of bird life,” said Dr Falla. He thought it unlikely that the bird would be found in anything but poor high country. In his strange choice of habitat the notornis was like the kea, but had not the latter’s predatory instincts. It was evident that the birds were unaccustomed to disturbance because at first they were easy to approach, continued Dr. Falla. However, they soon became more cautious and long- j range observation was necessary to I study them under natural conditions. I The experience of being the first scientist to observe the notornis col-1 ony was a thrill unprecedented in his ! career, added Dr. Falla. He admitted i that during the hours of studying the ! birds meals, or the lack of them, I seemed of small account. Before returning to Te Anau, Dr. Falla was taken through some re-! cently discovered limestone caves, j from which he collected several I groups of moa bones These were I mainly of the species’anomaloptery, I one of the smaller and more agile] moas. These birds, he said, evidently j frequented the forest areas, for their remains were often found in caves on hilly country, whereas the larger! moas were found in more open | places. Skeletons found at Te Anau i represented five or six individuals but | none was complete. It appeared that I the birds had originally dropped ' through the cracks and fissures on to l the floor of the mail* caves, where ' flooding had scattered the bones and carried away the lighter ones altogether.