Birds On Stamps

Forest and Bird, Issue 153, 1 August 1964, Page 14

Birds On Stamps

This year (1964) the designs of the health stamps revert to the bird series, after a break showing Prince Andrew, but this time sea birds are chosen as the subject. The 2Jd value shows the red-billed gull, a bird very common on our sea coasts. It associates quite frequently with the blackbilled gull, with which it shares the Maori name tarapunga., It is also found on inland lakes. Its food consists of fish, insects, and dead animal matter cast up by the tide. It is frequently seen at freezing-work outfalls feeding on offal with other sea birds. It is distributed over the North, South, and Stewart Islands and other adjacent islands.

The 3d value shows the little blue penguin, which frequents the coastal waters from North Cape to Stewart Island and is also to be found on the outlying islands. It feeds on small fishes and marine life. It seldom comes ashore beyond the coastal

rocks except to seek a nesting place or to shelter in stormy weather.

Both birds are shown on the stamps with backgrounds representing their natural habitat. The stamps are printed in colours as near as possible to nature. The horizontal format has been used for the first time in the bird series of health stamps as it is more suitable for depicting coastline scenes.

This set is the fifth of the bird series of health stamps, and together with the 1898 pictorial 3d. huia, 6d. kiwi, Is. kea and kaka; the 1935 pictorial Jd. fantail, Id. kiwi, Is. tui; the 1956 Southland Centenary Bd. takahe ; the 1958 Hawke’s Bay Centenary 3d. gannets; and the 1959 Pan-Pacific Scout Jamboree 3d. kiwi form quite a sizeable subject collection on New Zealand ornithology.