NATURE—AND MAN.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19065, 2 October 1933, Page 10

NATURE—AND MAN.

A FAVOURED COUNTRY, I

WEALTH OF BEAUTY

(By Leo Fanning.) Old-time visitors to New Zealand recorded their belief that Nature bad made this country the most beautiful in the world. Although man lias done his worst to spoil Nature’s charm in some places, the country as a whole with its marvellous scenes of land and water —eaji call tourists from all the continents in full confidence that they will be heartily pleased with their pilgrimage. When will that tide of tourist traffic rise to tho height that New Zealand's niorit deserves. During recent years "Old .losluia Plump” has limited tho Government funds for this purpose, and it is likely that the allocation will lie comparatively small during tho next rear or so. if seems that private enterprise—the folk Interested in transport and accommodation —will have, to make a move. Serious efforts have been made to organise a co-op-eration of these interests, and there is at last a prospect that a New Zealand Travel League will be evolved to assist the Government in big campaigns to attract tourists to these islands The Dominion has immeasurable capital of beauty, but the dividends will not bq 'large until the

people who desire them 'to take a serious, progressive view of the tourist industry. Save the Forests. New Zealanders, who happily possess "The Wonderland of the Pacific.” should be alert and active, not only to safeguard their heritage of natural beauty,' but to increase it. A reminder of Ibis need of watchfulness is seen in the recently-reported spoiling of some of the noble forest along the new tourist road from Rotorua to Lake Waikaremoana. The people of South Auckland, Hawke's Bay and Poverty Gay were rightly wrathful about that desecration, but they should not be alone in their indignation. This is a matter which concerns the whole 'country, because it is a whittling of the national scenic capital. Nature’s favouritism to New Zealand is shown in the kindness of the climate which helps man to make some amends for his blunders of the past in the* destruction of forest, on sleep slopes of bills and mountains. It. is well known that, various introduced trees of temperate zones make astonishingly quick growth in New Zealand, and some of the native trees also increase their stature in a manner which gives a pleasant, surprise to the planter.

The recent, mention of the numerous tuis that were seen feasting on the nectar of tho kowbai’s golden pendants in Pukckura Park, New Plymouth, should help to promote. Lie planting of that hardy onuunenl.il iree. in Christchurch just after the middle of August I saw a big kowhni which, was nearlj; in full bloom.

Christchurch has plenty of frosts, from late autumn to early spring, hut they had not worried the kowhai. Indeed it seemed that the tree had decided to flout Jack Frost, for in its flowering 1t was two or three weeks ahead of any kowhai I had seen in Wellington.

The Seasons Meet. Really in many districts of New Zealand there is no winter, as the word is understood in some temper-ate-zone countries of the Northern Hemisphere. Even in Wellington there is no such thing as "the last rose of summer." It is the last rose of winter. At Day's Bay, Wellington, about the middle of this month, I saw a rose of the last season beside a hud of spring. Here the last of the chrysanthemums salute the primroses anil jonquils. How easy it is to have new wealth of beauty in the “Brighter Britain of the South." What colourful spectacles the Inhabited parts of ttiis country will offer when the people take full advantage of Nature’s kindness in soil and climate! The increasing cult of beauty will delight, the birds, ir the people take care to plant plenty of the shrubs and trees which bear honeyed flowers and berries. Such a policy wili help the tuis and bell-birds to multiply an 1 tiring their melody within the easy hearing of many thousands of people. There is proof that, if New Zealanders in Die mass desire to have an increase in I he numbers of certain native birds 1 heir wish will b: f u 111 It oil. The achievement of such au ideal requires a checking of van-

dalism in the existing native forests and further planting of food-yielding shrubs and trees.

The Brave, Sturdy Weka. Can yon imagine the ordinary domestic fowl attacking and conquering a weasel? The "Maori hen," or woodhen (which is really a rail), known as the weka, regards the weasel as something good to eat, and goes for it. Here is a note on the weka’s strength by that well-known bird observer, Mr Gulhrie-Smith —• "It is when these birds arc seen prowling along wet shores, dislodging stones as large as turnips In their open bills (the weka does not pull them towards him; he moves them entirely by grasp of mandibles! it is then, or when rising to full height, be delivers with bis bill a blow worthy of Porihos or Ivanhoe, or when he stands over a bone, bolding it down with one foot like a dose and like a dog wrenches from it muscles, meat, and tendons, that, you can believe that a weasel bight fall before him.” As the enemy of rats, which have been described as "perhaps, the most serious enemies of native birds." 'lie weka earns the country's gratitude. "It. is to such species as the crows, lhe robins, the tils, the warblers, the thrushes, the sabblehaeks. the bushcreeper. tho pigeon, and Lie parakeels that Hie presence of the weka is an unmixed boon." remarks Mr Gulhrie-Smilli. "If they slill continue to survive it is bis ceaseless vigilance, bis policing of Hie woous, and bis eternal patrol of lliom by d.iy and night, that we owe their lives;

and these species, we may say, he watches without reward. Front other birds aided in the struggle for ll to, such as rails, ducks, pukeko possiblv and front the fern bird and ground jark, certainly he does take fair toil. It is a tribute levied fit and fair and the merest fraction of what is robbed by rats—a mere nominal fee, in fact, charged for fife insurance. If, then, in New Zealand any serious interest ever comes to be taken in our native birds, the most efficient method of preserving the smaller tree-breeding species lies in the propagation of the weka. Of all Urn birds that deserve our care lie comes foremost, and assistance withheld from him is help denied to half the indigenous birds of New Zealand.”