ZOO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2297, 3 November 1914, Page 3

ZOO NOTES

FORECASTING THE WEATHER MOSQUITOES AND DISEASE LORD KITCHENER AS NATURALIST (By John Orewes, member of the Council of the Wellington Zoological Society.) During four years I held the office of president of the Wellington Zoological Society. In tne course of my presidency I was frequently favoured with opportunities to promote the objects of my society, by means of the columns of 'The Dominion. Now, as several of the readers of my Zoo notes have expressed a desire for me to continue writing and publishing my cogitations on zoological matters, ana as my aequaintauceship with the members of • The Dominion literary 6taff that I have met has become, pleasant and mutually interesting, I hope to present occasionally through iThs Dominion to my steadily-increasing friendly clientele such free and popular, though'strictly scientific, notes as the Zoo notes that I have hitherto published.. It must be remembered that these notes are published under my name, and that I am solely responsible for them j it is only fair, however ,_ to say that, though the Zoological, Society takes no responsibility for what I write, the meeting that elected my successor informally asked that my notes_ should be 'in some way associated with the society's auspices, hence I use the name of, the society in oonnection with these unpretentious productions. It is very gratifying to me that I have been permitted to retire from the presidency, that nunj expressions of appreciation of the services I rendered in the offioe have been received, that I am still a ■member of the Council of the Society, and that Mr. Thomas Fathers is my successor. 1 Mr. Fathers is a strong man, and is as courteous and conciliatory as lie is 6trong. _ The society is strong; popular, and influential; and the time had come for it to demonstrate; unmistakably, the fact that it was not dominated by ; or dependent upon, anyone-man. With Mr. Fathers I am one at heart;, with Mr. Castle, our indefatigable secretary, I, in perfect agreement; and with my fellow members of the council .1 will work in the future, as I have worked, in the past, to promote the/ society s objects and strengthen its efforts.

Spring In the ?00. Mallard are bringing their broods down to the main pond, ring-doves, peaceful-dovesj and necklace-doves are increasing .rapidly* canaries aro hatching, blackbirds are 1 sitting, ring-neckod Indian parrakeets have laid, pheasants ore laying, the young fish in the aquarium, except one lot, are growing, and weaver birds are clothing themselves with fiery splendour. Viewed as a whole the Zoo is in fine condition' at present, and the aquarium is attracting special attention.

A Word In Season. , ■ Some of my friends began to crow before they were out of tho wood. They forgot the early cold and patches of severe weather of the first half of last winter, missed some qualifying words that I gave in my forecast of that winter, aild, seeing that I would not speak confidently, of an early unbroken [ spring for this season, clapped their wings in brilliant sunshine and suggested that tho forecast based on the condition of animals in tho Wellington Zoo had proved incorrect. A few weeks ago I •contended that my prediction about tho winter had been exactly verified.. Now •I ask what shall be said about my hesi-' tancy in regard to tho spring? Last week the "Evening Post" reported that in the South Island thero was thick ice. I stood on the Wellington City Belt and saw beautiful caps of snow on hills that seemed to be not very high. Just about that timo contestants were driven off the Newtown Bowling. Green by pelting hail that. soon whitened the sward with a beautiful wintry coat, and on tho following afternoon veterans when asked to step on to the green wrapped their big coats more tightly round them, and went up to play cards in the pavilion. Last Monday morning Tke Dominion ion reported that in the high, cold, wind or the previous day our harbour, was fleecy and the . sea outside . was turbulent and .foamy. Early rising is good for some complaints, but early, crowing is not safe sometimes.' Viscount' Kltohener and Natural History.. 1 There are; but few men in this world to-day that are attracting more attention than Kitchener is, and Kitchener's views and Works have been so coincident With' those of the Wellington Zoological Society that to commend the objects ' and methods of my _ society' I must direct attention to their/importance as seen in the light of Kitchener as an example. At the opening of the Aquarium I emphasised the fact that in Natural, History there is no such' thing as absolute size. Now we notice how Viscount Kitchener has jllustrated that fact. When, he was in Egypt, administering tho affairs of that wonderful country, he gave much attention to insects. Insects, in appearance, are very little things, but in reality they are of very great importance. It- is then of momentous importance that at this time the head ana director of the military forces of'our Empire is a great as well as a great soldier. Kitchener knows what was not discovered until recently, that some species of mosquitoes have been mo're deadly than hussars, and he knows that disease-germs of 6uch small dimensions that they are invisible to the naked eye have,.,in som6 wars, killed more soldiers than tho cavalry of the combatant forces have. I have lived 67 years on this planet. In my life* time there have been several great wars on its, surface, and now I venture to submit that two species of mosquitoes and two sets of disease-germs that I could name have killed more men than all the armies of the great nations of Europe have. Kitchener, being' a great naturalist, will, in England and wherever British forces are, as he did in Egypt, keep-the microscopes at work, and. use means to effectually deal with enemies that were unseen and unsuspected, though very deadly in some past wars. I hope that some day there will be an insectarium in tho Wellington Zoo. Kitchener contributed tc tho Giza Zoo last year. Ho showed that, in his opinion, the popularisation of Natural History in zoos is an important educational work. Next ho, as our city the Wellington Zoological Society, and myself have, tried to teach farmers and tho public generally tho importance of protecting valuable fauna and birds that are tiseful to agriculture—now the omdehs and sheikhs of villages, tho owners of agricultural lands, and tho" Egyptians generally, are becoming quite enthusiastic on.tho subjcct of bird protection, both from tho practical side of the birds checking the ravages of insects in their crops, and from the aesthetic or sentimental side of preserving from persecution birds that have remarkable associations. I want for Maoris and pakehas in New Zealand to co-operate with the Government of tho Dominion to protect tho kiwis as the Egyptians aro protecting the stonecurlew, and to do for tho tuatara what tho Egyptians aro doing for egrets. Although it was only as recently as May, 1912, that tho laws regarding the protection of birds useful to agriculture bogan ' to operate in Egypt, the results appar-1 ,'enfc. are moat encouraging, and, last,

year, in two protected natural colonies more than 1000 young egrots were reared. Long live Kitchener, who, -when men have lost their senses, can direct them in fighting, and when they find them again will be Teady to lead them in movements more worthy of their energies. Members of the Government and members of the City Council, members of the Wellington Zoological Society, and members and non-members of every other respectable body should honour the example of Kitchener in promoting a Zoo, educating the people, and preserving the fauna that lit the ordor of Nature you hold in trust for the edification of the world.