OPOSSUMS IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 5

OPOSSUMS IN NEW ZEALAND

REPORT BY PROFESSOR KIRK

SKETCH OF THE ANIMALS' HABITS 4

A report by Professor H. B. Kirk on ■ "Opossums in New Zealand" has been presented to the House of Representatives. Following 'are excerpts irom the report:— "I was asked, through tho New Zealand • Institute, to find answers to the, two following questions:—(l) Whether the damage to forests is likely to outweigh advantages to settlers in . being able to earn a revenue by trapping or taking oDossums in new country. (2) On' what areas these animals could % liberated ■with reasonable security against ' their overrunning and damaging Stato forests. "I am in a position to answer the questions as follow: (1) The damage to New Zealand forests is negligib.e, and is far outweighed' by tho advantage that already accrues to the community, lliat advantage might be enormously greater. On the one hand, the damage to orchards and: gardens is indisputable. -Mucii annoyance, and a loss' statable at hundreds •"of pounds, is caused. On the other hand, tho'volume" of the present trade in sldns is statable in thousands, tne loss is borne by one section of the-com-munity while' the gain from ,is made bv another section. (!1) Opossums may, in my opinion, with advantage be liberated in all forest districts except ■where the forest is frujged by orchards or Ms plantations of imported trees in the neighbourhood. ; . "I have found no native tree that has, in my opinion, been killed by an opossum.' The favourite plants of, the opossum are ■ damaged by constant climbing and playing, but this generally happens near houses or at the edge of a clearing-; but I have never seen serious damage of this kind in' the forest. I thing it necessary to refer specially to the ease of the big -New Zealand fuchsia. On ita■piti Island I- was shown trees that had died in the forest, presumably killed by. opossums, although I did, not regard the evidence of cause as being convincing, peeing that the trees still ■ nnce of small twigs and that the baric was unharmed. . Moreover, the fuchsia is a verv hard tree to kill. I was told that in the scenic reserve on Lake Kanieri the fuchsia had been killed by opossums. Mr. Anderson, the Crown Lands Banger, kindly accompanied me to this placo. We found that although tho fuchsias of the forest fringe were -undamaged and healthy, those-in the bush itself were rarely healthy,- and many were dead. These trees _ were of a.l sizes and in various positions with regard to the' drainage of the soil, and with regard to shade. Many of them still bore their smaller twigs uninjured, and tho bark was. in all cases intact. Ther all the appearance of having died from a bacterial or fungoid disease. Some had been heavily attacked by scale insects. >' ..' "In the Wellinßton waterworks reserve at Waimii-o-mata. a similar . state of things exists. The.fuchsias in. the bush itself,-in one gully at all events, stand dead or dying, many with all their twigs upon them, while, those on the forest frintre are in a thoroughly perfect condition.. Behind the assistant " caretaker's housd of a small fuchsia tree which has been freely bitten by opossums, but has branched again below the wounds. Such examples are of importance because they negative the only theory that occurs to me-to explain how the fuchsia. - tree, having most of-its twigs still upon it, could be supposed to have been killed by opossums—the theory that, the opossum bite sets up in the fuchsia ft poisonous action that it does not cet up in other plants. - But healthy fuchsias occur abundantly in bushes heavily stocked .with opossums. In Mr. Telford's bush at Otanomomo, referred to -later in this section, large fuchsia trees nro numerous and healthy, and I oould find' no dead trees. The same is true of all-the bushes I 'examined in the Catlin's district' ahd of bush.'at the Orari Gorge, 'Peel Forest, and- at Geraldine. - It is true of the Wellington Botanical Gard-: ens. where there are a few opossums.

■ "I have not been asked to report upon the damage done by other animals than opossums, but I should consider myself failing ill duty made no reference to the matter. In scenic reserves and on other Crown lands cattle are doing enormous damage: They eat and trample out tho undergrowth, and their continued presence means death to the, forest. Deer, When numerous", are almost as bad as cattle. Pigs are very harmful. In some cases rabbits do much damage. None of these animals should be allowed in forest reserves or.-in scenic reserves. It is.not too much to say that in cases where bush is to be preserved not 'one head of cattle or" deer should be allowed, and pigs should, as far as possible, 'be killed. The last commission with regard to State forestry took much evidence on this point. Where the amount of fencing required is small, reserves.should be protected by a fence on the sides on which thefy are open to invasion. In some respects more ranging, and perhaps the giving of power to rangers i to destroy trespassing animals, would lead to tho clearance of the forests. The cost of these measures could besinet, in part at least, by revenue derived .from opossums. "Of the opossum in New. Zealand there are two races—tho grey, found in *many parts of tho Australian Continent, and tho brown (or, as it is frequently called, the black, or the blue), especially, characteristic of Tasmania. These two races are not distinct ispecies, and there is little doubt that they have crossed ir. New Zealand. Some of the hybrids, at all events? appear to-have fur. intermediate in colour between tho brown and the grey. ' "pDossums are nocturnal in hnbit, and during tho day conceal themselves iu holloiv tree 3 or in tufts of plants growing in the branches of trees, or frequently, as far as New Zealand is concerned at all events, under dry logs, or dry fern, or other plants.' Their breeding habits are of considerable importance in forming an idea of the rate at which thev aro likely to increase, and of what difficulty may be expectod in getting rid of them If they should at any time provo altogether undesirable—a thing that, in my opinion, will never happen. Opossums breed once in each year, although occasionally there may bo a second breeding. An opossum rarely produces more than one young animal at a birth, and never more than two. So rarely does it happen that two young are produced in one year, that the departures from the normal »tate of things must be more than 'counterbalanced by occasional failure to breed and'by mortality among the voung nnltnals. There need; therefore, bo.no fear that opossums, can ever increase in numbers as the rabbit has increased in Now Zealand.

Not only is the rate of incmiise slow, but the opii?sum is so easily trapped, snared, poisoned, or shot that man could check undue inorease speedily and profitably, as is now done lawfully in some open districts, and unlawfully 'in nrotect«l districts. Probably no animal is more endowed with tlie curiosity that loads it Into danger then the opossum, or is less Rifted with tho cunning to escape from dimmer, or even the sense to reeopjniso it. OVERLAND "FOITR" IGNORES' THE RUTS No matter how rough the going, Ovor- • land "Four," the finest light car made, just "sails over tha road." It» threepoint cantilever spring suspension, giving a spring-base of 130 inches with a wheel-base of 100 inches ,is an exclusive feature, minimising sids-sway and jolting, and giving the riding copifort of a heavy, expensive car. Overland "Four," because of its special idendgn, is the most economical car. It covers from 28 to 30 miles on one ration of petrol. It is exceptionally light' on tyre wear, and its wonderful suspension. springs make for longer lifo and freedom from jars and vibration. Overland "Four" to the consummation of eyarre of research, and is the combination of ease and comfort with light iweight. For all-round service there is no better value to-day than Overland "Four." Write or call for free catalogue, giving full details. Distributors: A. Hatrick and, Co., Ltd., Watiganui and Wellington. "Local Dealers:—Dawher Motors, Ltd., Palm erst on North; Maeterton Farmers' Implement Co.. Maaterton; V. Nioholls, Taihape; W.F.C.A., Ct3, Dannerirke and Pahiatua; Gower and M'Keneie, Ohingaiti,— AM