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Forest and Bird, Issue 138, 1 November 1960, Page 14

SOME NEW ZEALAND BIRDS. As published by Price Milburn and Co. this booklet, originally issued as a Primary School Bulletin, consists of a series of interesting, chatty notes by Dr. R. A. Falla on thirty-four native and seven introduced birds, all well illustrated by E. Mervyn Taylor. Dr. Falla has included an interesting chapter on bird watching and bird study. Being free from technical terms the booklet is very suitable for juniors; it is 9 X 6X inches, in paper cover containing forty pages, and is priced at ss? 6d.

.• Although introduced birds are not mentioned in the title their inclusion suggests that having : been successfully acclimatised they may now be regarded as New Zealand birds although not real natives. Lovers of native birds may not agree with this suggestion.

The inclusion of the notes on the pihoihoi between those of the introduced starling and mynah without specific mention that it is a native bird may cause young readers to think it also is an introduced bird; had it been named . native ground lark in addition to pihoihoi its status would have been clear. The omission of the Maori names of the black shag and of the incidentally mentioned little black shag are perhaps oversights, as all other native birds noted have Maori names recorded. The Maori used the binomial system in naming the shags, kawau being the generic term for all; thus the black shag is kawau-pu, an

aristocratic name since kawau-pu is a figurative name for a chief, and the little black shag is kawau-tui, a name suggestive of its fancied likeness to the tui.

Two errors occur in the spelling of Maori names: that of the white-throated shag should be kawau-paka, not kawu-paka (the word kawu is definitely not Maori as the syllable wu in it does not occur in genuine Maori words). For the rifleman the Maori name should be spelt tititi-pounamu, not titipoenamu, which is a double error (to the Maori tititi signifies repetition of the squeaky note of the rifleman, and pounamu refers to some green in its plumage, pounamu being Maori for green.

As the publishers intend to issue a clothbound edition some attention to correction of the foregoing faults may be possible.

—A. Morris Jones.

CONSERVATION OF ANTARCTIC WILDLIFE

Delegates to the Antarctic Symposium held at Buenos Aires, Argentina, twelve months ago passed a resolution that the time has come for positive steps to be taken in the protection of Antarctic wildlife, which developed in the presence of an abundant food supply at sea and the absence of indigenous enemies on land. Although it is sometimes necessary to kill seals, penguins, and other creatures to provide food for men and dogs, each season the supply ships supporting scientific bases bring many persons with little interest in wildlife. Careless and uncontrolled actions of these visitors have caused damage to the native fauna.. Other harm can arise from well meant but ill advised activities that upset the natural balance of populations (such as destroying skuas in the mistaken belief that this will assist the penguins).