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Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 29, 15 July 1867, Page 171

The B light Bird.—The Daily Southern Cross, of the 10th J uly, contains the following paragraph, which, no doubt, will I be read with interest:—“ Correspondents from all parts of the province—from the coast settlements north and south, ami from the Upper Waikato have written lately about the appearance in their neighbourhood of flocks of a small bird, which has been named the ‘ blight bird/ as it is is supposed to feed on the blight that destroys so many of our fruit trees. If this be so we bid the tiny stranger welcome for its usefulness. Even our readers in Auckland, in ‘populous city peuc/ must have noticed this bird making cheerful the dingy gum trees in dirty back yards. We have abundance of birds in the forests of this province, and on our swamps, rivers, and. coasts: but hitherto we have been deficient in what may be termed ‘ social ’ birds, of which the common house sparrow is the best known home type. It may be that these pretty little birds heard that we had established an Acclimatisation Society and came, thinking that they would be well used, to aid us against the insect tribe that seemed to be getting too strong for us. And we hope they wifi be kindly treated ar d regarded as tapued from every disturbance and molestation. In the meantime, we have never yet seen a quite satisfactory account of where they have come from, what are their habits, and if it may be feared that they will soon go away again, and disappear as mysteriously as they have come.”

A Difficult Question. —Why was the attempt of Sir Richard Mayne to keep the peoplebut of the park like a very good riddle ? Because he was obliged to give it up. .. r