Native Game

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 28, 17 August 1886, Page 2

Native Game

The Government in a recent gazotto have declared tha pukeko, «r native water hem, to be native game, and is to b« protected as such. As this bird is not a remarkable delicacy for the table, while its habits are depredatory we are at a loss to understand why it should be included in the catagery of game. Farmers who have cultivations near swamp or wet laud, have long looked upon the pukeko as most destructive to growing crops, as well as bold thieves of grain when in the staokg. In fact, a flock of these birds living in "a atate of protection, " near a oerial fanner, weuld ruin the latter in two or three years. Instances are knewn in Canterbury wk«re hundreds of acres had to be re-sewn, owing to these birds k&ving come in the early morning and picked up every grain the rower had cast during the preceding day. . The rabbit, which, has caused so much ruin and di«»olation in parte of tke South Island, is not a greater robber than the beautiful but unprincipled pukeke. We expect after the Southern members get hone, and settle down to heme pursuits, the farmers among them will raise " a wail" on this subjdot.