IS THE HUIA EXTINCT?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2001, 7 March 1914, Page 5

IS THE HUIA EXTINCT?

•A.: REPORT TQ THE CONTRARY. (By :Tel«papa.-Spccial Correspondent,) Wanganul, March 6. - . -'At a meeting of the Wanganui Museum Trustees W .Thursday evening sgmo interesting remarks were made on the huia. It appears . that, some time'ago, Mr. H.\y,.Hesse, curator pf ■the Wanganui Museum,' was informed by a visiter/.here, ttiat he had had authoritative' information of the existence of.'huias in certain portions".of the district!! Shortly afterwards.?, letter was received from the Dominion Museum authorities''., in Wellington suggesting joint action, in a search for specimens,, and, this was followed by a letter from tho Minister of,lnternal Affairs,, who asked that information oh tho subject should bo given him, and that tho Wanganui Museum authorities should consult him as to stops to bo taken to protect tho birds, Mr.' Hesse sent a non-committal reply. .'Mr."J. H. Burnet, ono of the trustees, iii commenting on Mr. Hesse's report, said that last summer, tho Government had sent-two mon right-,up to Taihape to search, for huias, but, without success'.; ■ Continental museums paid a fancy prico for 'them) and tho fivo specimens in;-the Wanganui Museum .were very valuable indeed. . ■■■[■■ ■ In ; the course of further discussion, during which it was stated to be hri, ppssiblq- to keep the Maoris from hunting natiyo birds; Mr. Hesse gave it as his opinion that' most, of the native birds would, be extinct in. a. short time owing to '.their, ruthless destruction by Natives, and'the ousting of the-birds ■from their haunts by the destruction .of the' bush, In addition to. the huia, the paroquet,' New, Zealand crow, and'even the kiwi were dying out., :v 'It was. resqlved to reply to. tho Minister of Internal Affairs to tho effect that the information on tho matter wag meagre, but they were prosecuting; inquiries, and .would. inform tho Government of flip result if necessary, hut, in ; tho meantime,,the trustees would bo glad to tknow; what was ,tlie intention'of the Government; in' "the event 1 of tho birds being ipoated.'