Mutton Birding on Stewart Island.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 12, 1 September 1900, Page 919

Mutton Birding on Stewart Island.

By Nita Johnston,

1 the majority of people Stewart Island is but little known, and to them it is a solitary out-of-the-way place — uninteresting and uninviting. But to those who love Nature in its

primitive conditions, this island cannot fail to be of interest, if only on account of the variety and beauty of its scenery. Its coasts are indented with bays and inlets, and the number of islets dotted about adds to its picturesqueness. On the mainland the scenery is magnificent, wild and rugged to a degree and clothed with dense bush, including totara and other valuable varieties of New Zealand woods. Amid its umbrageous wilds many varieties of birds still live and thrive, the kaka, bellbird, hnJcu (or pigeon), and tliree varieties of kiwi (Apteryx), of the latter, one is quite peculiar to the island, not being found elsewhere, and, last though not least, the titi (or mutton-bird). This bird thrives so well in the solitudes of the south-west coast of the island that the Maoris make yearly excursions in order to obtain large supplies for preserving. The titi is very like a duck in appearance. The wings and tail are short, measuring about two feet from tip to tip, the bill is curved, and is about two inches in length, the feathers are black, and the body is about the size of a sea-gull.

Between the months of May and October, thousands of these birds may be seen off the coasts of New Zealand, and some have been seen on the shores of Tasmania. They return to their breeding-places in October, and clear out their old nest holes or make new ones. These holes resemble rabbit burrows, Voi,. I.— No. 12.—05.

and are used for several seasons by the same birds. The Maoris say that they soratch the holes with their claws and bills, and the soil, being of a soft kind resembling peat, is suitable for burrowing. Some of the holes are so deep that tho birds cannot be reached by a man's arm, and in those cases a new passage is cut to tho nest. The laying season begins about tho 20th November and continues till the end of December. Most of tho young birds are hatched by the end of January. Tho eggs are about the size of an ordinary duck ogg. A well-known whaler, familiarly known as " Paddy," on one occasion secured about ono hundred dozen of titi eggs and took them up to Dunedin, where he sold a considerable number as ordinary duck eggs, and passed off tho remainder as first-class eggs of a special breed from Southland, thus securing fancy prices. Whon the titis are first hatched they resemble a fluffy ball of fat, and when about the size of a pigeon, oil will run out of their bills if held up by tho legs. The parent birds take turn about in hatching and feeding their young. The Maoris say the old birds over-feed their progeny. The feeding takes place at night, as the old birds are away all day. When fully fledged tho young birds become thinner, and are then able to fly. They begin to lose their down and feathers about April and May, when they are ready for preserving. For months the Maoris make preparations for the annual trip. Parties are arranged and provisions packed to last during the whole visit. Arrangements are made for the conveyance of these parties; oyster cutters and boats from the Bluff are chartered. The Bluff Harbour tug, Awarua, alone took down ninety Maoris last season, including men,

women and children. The excitement in preparing for the departure is thoroughly enjoyed, and the usual demonstrations upon leaving friends and relations are freely indulged in. As the birds are ready for preserving about the 10th of April, the Maoris like to be down in good time to build impromptu whares, or renovate those of the previous season. Some of the families or tribes hold

the right of " birding " on certain islands, and no one can trespass on these rights. Whether the right of monopoly is held by ancient prerogative or otherwise is not explained. If an outsider applies for permission to the chief of the tribe, the usual Jcorero is held to decide the question. When the camps are ready and all preliminaries arranged, the " birding " begins in earnest. The nesting-grounds are divided into sections, and each section

is carefully worked. Towards the end of the season the work is carried on at night by the aid of torches, as many of the young are then strong enough to leave the nests during the day. All the adults, men and women, old and young, take part in the pursuit. The orthodox style of killing the bird is by severing the spinal cord at the back of the head with the teeth, but the younger

Maoris hit them on the head with a stick. The " birding " in tbe earlier part of the season is done in the forenoon, and the plucking takes place in the afternoon. This operation requires careful manipulation, as the tender flesh of the bird must not be torn. The spectacle the pluckers present during this operation is better imagined than described. When plucked the birds are arranged in bundles of five, and hung over rails in the air for two days to harden.

After this the wings and head are cut off, and the bird is split open, and looks exactly like a miniature fat pig. It is then put into strong brine, or diy salted for two days, and carefully smoked. When eaten, the flesh somewhat resembles salt fish, and is pronounced by many to be most delicious. I have seen a bird cut up and eaten by children without bread, they ate the fat and skin, sucked the bones, and wanted more. After smoking, the packing begins, and poha or kelp-bags are

prepared. Large pieces of rock-kelp are cut into pieces according to the size required. The kelp is toagh outside and fibrous inside, and a space is easily made by splitting. These bags are then lined with leaves and packed with preserved birds, melted fat being poured into the interstices until the poha is full. The end is then sewn up, and the pohatiti is encased in a covering of totara bark, presenting a neatly-arranged and conical shape, and the base is inserted into an

undressed flax basket with handles, and covering about one-third of tho length of the pohatiti. The pohatiti is thon marked with the number of birds it contains, ranging from twenty to seventy, and tho ownor's name. Directly the season is ovor tho camps break up, and preparations are made for the homeward journoy. During tho following months tho lucky hunters havo, no doubt, many a feast on mutton birds, and they invariably form a highly-approciatod

portion of the presents of food sent on state occasions to other tribes. When the supplies of this much-esteemed delicacy run low the Maoris look forward impatiently to the timewhen the titi will be again ready for preserving. The accompanying snapshots were taken by Mr. Ayson, Inspector of New Zealand Fisheries, to whom I am also indebted for many of the details concerning muttonbirding on Stewart Island.