Book Review "The New Zealand Kiwi": K. E. Francis

Forest and Bird, Issue 185, 1 August 1972, Page 24

Book Review "The New Zealand Kiwi": K. E. Francis

One of the best books on a New Zealand bird ever to appear came on the market recently. Mr Francis is curator for the Hawke’s Bay Wildlife Trust, where he has had close association with the life and breeding of kiwis. He observes: “It is difficult to look back without resentment or regret at the blind destruction wrought by the early settlers. Superb stands of timber were destroyed by axe and fire, and hill country which should have been left untouched was cleared and laid open to erosion. It was a record of great courage —and great ignorance. “Native birds trapped in the recurring fires were decimated, and the remnants faced the attacks of ferrets, stoats, and weasels introduced to combat the rabbit menace.” But did you know that kiwis are fond of water and are recorded as being powerful swimmers? Or that an angry kiwi snaps its beak closed with an audible clacking sound and in a fight uses it to seize and hold? Or that at night the bird moves swiftly with a peculiar running gait? Or that the strange noises made by an angry kiwi are almost comical and range from a dog-like growl to a hissing sound reminiscent of a goose? This little 60-cent book is a “must” for all members of the Society, and in fact for all New Zealanders who call themselves “kiwis” too. -—Executive Secretary Whitcombe and Tombs, 60c.