NATIVE BIRDS.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18024, 20 May 1930, Page 3

NATIVE BIRDS.

HOW THEY FARE IN WESTLAND. ENEMIES NUMEROUS. Native birds in - South Westland formed the subject of an interesting report by' Mr E. .T. G. Wiffin, who has been on a stalking expedition to that district, to the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. In the Landsdowne Valley he saw no tuis, but a few pigeons and quite a number, of keas and kalcas. He agreed with those who contended that the | lcea should riot be shot in the districts j like the wild country jn Westland, where there were no sheep. Stoats and weasels in the valley, .were very, numerous, and he saw no ground birds at all. The bellbird was fairly numerous, and there were a number of tomtits, riflemen and pied . fantails and black fantails, but he did j not think that there was anything like the number of birds that there ought !to be—undoubtedly the stoats and i weasels had been killing a great many. ; He had watched a stoat stalking a tomi tit, and he saw evidences of the work ; of stoats and weasels by the feathers ; of the birds that had been killed. The'blue ducks were scarce, but the paradise duck was very numerous in Otago and South Westland. In the | Landsborough there were hundreds of them ,and they appeared to be breeding fast, and quite able to look after | themselves. After crossing the Lands- | borough River at the junction of the llaast, several fords had to be crossed, at one of which they nearly came to grief, owing to a horse taking fright. The cause of the fright was the, startling of some hundreds of paradise ducks. These birds came from the water with a roaring sound, which lasted for some lime. It was a wonderful sight, and dispelled from bis mind any question as to the numbers : of these birds. In the valley there ! was evidence as lo (be great pumbor j of rabbits that had been' there, but now there were very few, and unfortunately the stoats and weasels | "oi'i- plentiful, }