WELLINGTON ZOO

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2387, 17 February 1915, Page 3

WELLINGTON ZOO

TREES & CEMETERIES THE TOOTH-BILLED PIGEON John Crewes, Member of the Council or tho Wellington Zoological Society.) I don't know which was the prouder roan, the father, when his daughter told him that she bad been intensely interested in my notes on the aquarium, the trees, the oxygen, the carbonic acid gas, and the cemetery, or myself, when that proud father told me that as soon as he told one of his daughters, who is only twelve years old, that there were some Zoo notes in The Dominion, she immediately read them, and told him that they were very interesting, especially as her class at school had been taught something about oxygen and car'f acid gas, a few days ago. The good father was pleased to be able to tell me that children can read aud understand my "scientific ■ notes," and I was equally pleased to hear it. (

The Zoo, and the Taita Cemetery. A resident of Lower Hutt has sent to roe an interesting postcard, on which there is a kindly reference to my Zoo notes; but an urgent appeal to me to read a certain article before 1 publish a note on cremation. Now I must say that I hope to treat with due respect every reader of my notes, and thank my lnends for any reference sent to me; but cannot promise to read articles that were read by other students many years ago. Recently I eat in a cemetery, and mused; later I returned to my home, and read; then I exercised my judgment, and published the result. I am not sure that I shall ever publish a note on cremation. I have read a good deal about it, and at one time favoured it, but now, although I would prefer it to graves covered with pebbles, in treeless cemeteries, or treeless parts of cemeteries, I prefer earth burial, in properly planned and planted cemeteries, to cremation. But what I ask my Hutt friends to do does not primarily touch the question of cremation. I ask them to make the Taita Cemetery worthy of the Hutt Valley.

The Teeth of Didunculus. When I was at the Zoo a few days ago, a minister of religion introduced to me a gentleman from Auckland, some one high in the educational world, a professor, I think.. I, in return, introduced Didunculus to them. But it was so done that it raised the question whether the bill of the tooth-billed pigeon is a serrated bill, or a bill that has separate teeth in it. Now I . have thought that probably many other persons have felt to ask such a question as that. Well, of course, I have not been able to get near enough to look into the pigeon's mouth, although I have desired to get nearer and study it-. At present, however, I hold the belief that there is not in the world a living bird that has socketed teeth. From the tone of the question put by our distinguished visitor it seemed evident to me that he thought that Didunculus can never suffer from toothache. However, there are great problems in that bird's mouth.

The Samoan Pigeons, The two fruit pigeons that were brought from Samoa seem to have settled down quietly in their new circumstances. One of them sometimes comes up close to the fence of their lawn, and assumes an attitude that seems not at all unfrieudly to New Zealand, its people, and its visitors. One day Mr. Langridge was delighted to sea that one was carrying twigs and forming a nest on the ground just inside the curbing of one of the corners of their grass plot. Just about the same time I saw the industrious bird forming a nest in another corner. Later, however, all the twigs were removed; but the transaction evinced a homing disposition, which all good keepers like to see their animals revealing. The tooth-hilled pigeon which was brought with the fruit pigeons is not so worldly-minded. He seems more suitable for cloistered solitude and meditation. Ho spends much of- his time sitting on a perch and close up against the wall of- his commodious domicile. Yet he seems neither shy nor timid. In the afternoon he moves out into the sunshine and sits on the pole that stretches across the lawn. Then to any quiet, studious person, who walks up to strdy science, he stands lip and lockb and shows himself as though saying, "Well, here I am. There is no ostentation about me, nor is there in me any motive to 'hold me up for exhibitioin. If you want show move up to the performing peacock yonder, where the crowd is gathering, but it yoj. want to study me, for quiet educational purposes, here I am." Lie will not come'near as the 'fruit pigeon does; hut ho .will stolidly stand, a few yards away from a quiet observer, and allow himself to be scanned and studied, without evincing hurry or nervousness. Should any noisy person, laughing,or vulgarly calling attention to any peculiarity, of the wonderful bird, approach, Didunculus brooks no hilarity nor unmannerly curiosity, but quiets ly, and without ceremony, retires to his corner. Exhibitors of representatives of his family have always said that although they aro very interesting _ to scientists' they are not good cage-birds. However, our tooth-billed pigeon is in good condition, he seems to eat well, drink well, sleep well, and generally keep himself fairly comfortable. Then I say, may Didunculas remain long with os, and may thousands of people who may never be able to see another toothbilled pigeon make haste and see our Didunculus Strigirostris.