THE WHITE CRANE.

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 127, 31 May 1919, Page 7

THE WHITE CRANE.

TO TUB EDITOR. Sir,-—The paragraph iii your issue of last night is interesting with regard to the appearance of the above bird at the. sanctuary lagoon on Mr. J. Crawford Anderson's place at Stirling. It is more remarkable that one of the two species of blue cranes should have made its appearance in the same locality at the same time. The white heron. (Herodias timorensis), not crane, Kptuku of the Maoris, was at one time fairly common in the North Island, and the Maoris1 placed great value on its plumes. It was nfiich more common in the Middle Island; particularly on the West Coast. Lake Heron was so named,' by the late Thomas H. Potts, of Canterbury, 'well-known as the author of "Out in the Open," on account of the number of white herons that were to be seen along its shores. This bird has a range from China, and Japan, through the Malay. Archipelago to Australia, and New Zealand. There are two other species of herons in this country—one the white-fronted heron, Notophyx novee hollaiidias, Matuku-Moana of the Maoris. It is of a bluish-grey colour, throat, forehead, and over the eye white. It has the same range as that of the genus. The other species is called the blue heron. Demiegretta saera.'-Matuku of the Maoris The colour is dork slate grey, chin and throat white. It has the same range as the genus. One of the above two species may be seen occasionally flying along tho edge of the harbour, between Njrahauranga and Petone, or standing on the rocks.—l am, etc., ■ HENRY. H. TR AVERS. 27th May.