WEKAS AT THE ZOO

Evening Star, Issue 22456, 29 September 1936, Page 9

WEKAS AT THE ZOO

WAYS OF THE NATIVE WOODMEN WARRItR AND THIEF In a secluded corner of the Wellington Zoo live two woodhenS, or wekas (says the ‘Dominion’)' Lately (boy have been occupied in a somewhat uncertain attempt to build a nest, presumably with the idea of founding * family, but the undertaking has Been hampered by the intrusion of a wild cat, which eluded the keepers fof some days before they found it hid taken possession of the wekas’ little house.. The business of building his Since been returned. ‘ . , If the venture succeeded, it would not be the first time that a pair ofweka* hatched its brood in the Wellington Zoo. They are birds that do well in captivity, Had they reached the laying stage, the marauding cat would have met determined opposition, for. wekas are notoriously bold binds and hardy fighters, and defend their eggs With great determination. They are most devoted parents; once, when & weka chick was hatched at the zoo, it had i cross bill, and was unable to fend for itself, but the parent birds. continued to feed it until long after it had attained maturity. The present pair of wekas at the zoo is remarkable because one is a North Island, the other a South Island weka. As a rule, the clans do not Intermarry freely. The wekas. of the two islands have been described as separate types, but are more generally regarded as sub-species. A third variation is the black weka of the West Coast Sounds. These birds are by no means without vice. They are terrible thieves. When a weka happens into camp, be is likely to help himself to anything he is strong enough to drag sway—-and he is a pretty sturdy little bird. Unlike a great many birds that suffer from similar weakness of character, _ the weka does not steal because he is a victim of the collecting mania. He does not stow away his , trophies in hit^ nest. Indeed, he steals simply for the sake of stealing, practising aft for art’s own sake, ns professional pickpockets are said to do. The probability is that he will become bored with his trophy and abandon it 20yds or 30yds away in (he bush. He is spurred on By insatiable curiosity. He must have a look at everything. Captain Cook remarked on the boldness—or foolishness I—of the birds, which so readily ventured within reach of sticks and stones. They are always interested to peck at any fresh object, a,trait both painful and annoying who sleep in a wekahaunted neighbourhood. This propensity has at times been the wekas* undoing; instances are known when they have thrust their heads into tin cans, and through holes in timber, ana been unable to withdraw from the predicament. . Ferocious fighters, once engaged they often battle to a knock-out. So habitually do they duel that with the course of time they have developed specialised weapons. Their wings are no longer organs of flight, but are fitted tor offence and bloodshed, by the development of sharp wing-spurs, able to inflict a painful wound. The short, powerful beak, too, can deliver a nasty peck that will kill rat or stoat or send a dog yelping. Yet either' dogs, wild-cats, or stoats are held to be their undoing. A quarter of a century ago they were numerous throughout both islands; to-day their distribution is greatly restricted. They appear to be vanishing from the mainlands, and no doubt will eventually bo restricted to such island sanctuaries as Stewart Island, Kapiti, the Barriers, and Kawau. ...

The weka’a neat is an untidy basket of twigs, rudely woven, and placed apparently haphazard in any quiet corner on the ground. Tussock or flaxbush provides ample shelter. Perhaps the easy access to the weka’s nest has contributed to its disappearance from so many of its former haunts. Ita eggs, 2Jin_to 3in in length, are large in comparison to the bird, and probably form a succulent meal for such enemies as the hedgehog. Indeed, not infrequently the weka even _ has acquired an appreciation of their flavour and has formed the debauched habit of eating them himself. The weka calls at dusk and dawn, and before rain. Yachtsmen who cruise in the Haurafci Gulf will not easily forget the weka. One of tho most beautiful anchorages in all New Zealand is at Mansion House Bay, at Kawau Island; and whoever moors hi* vessel there and conies on deck at the latter end of day, will surely hear the wekas calling from the densely-wooded shore, as they stalk beneath the tall trees shadowing the margin of the water, gloomy and black with imminent onset of night. / M