BORN IN OVEN

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1929, Page 6

BORN IN OVEN

A DOMESTIC KIWI

BIRD’S UNNATURAL HABITS

AUCKLAND. April 18.

Kiwis must have first seen the light in strange places, but a little fellow who lias just arrived at Knwnkawa is probably the only* one who lias been born in an oven, not an incubator, but a plain everyday kitchen oven. It happened quite accidentally. One day a Maori boy arrived in the township with a kiwi’s egg. It lay outside all Saturday night and part of Sunday' morning, when it was shown to Mr G. Wilson, the postmaster. It was the first lie bad ever seen as soon as lie handled it lie knew there was life inside, and be suggested that it be handed over to him. This was agreed to. After being warmed in the oven for two hours the shell was broken by Mr AVilson sufficiently to let the inmate gets its little beak through. Gradually he loosed the body until at the end of six hours there emerged a tiny kiwi. All the operations took place in the oven, and naturally Mr Wilson had to watch the temperature very closely. At first the little fellow was not too safe on bis pins, but soon imnroved. He was fed on a diet of yolk of egg. Later be developed an appetite quite out of proportion to his size.

“We have to keen the door shut.” wrote Mr Wilson to the Curator of the Auckland Zoo, “as he hangs round and hops up 23 flights of steps and makes straight into the ■ kitchen. Ho is a very hungry mortal, for ever looking for food and willing to eat great bread crumbs and anything be can find on the kitchen floor. He is getting quite knowing and very intelligent. Most peculiar of all, lie never drinks. When six weeks old he was quite strong and able to sleep out. He lias departed from the natural ways of the kiwi and hunts by' day and sleeps by night. Immediately lie sees human beings he starts pecking them to let them know he requires more worms. Where lie stows them all goodness only knows, but Ik* never says lie lias had enough. Immediately after good feed lie simply buries his head and falls off to slee'i, generally for about two hours, and. then out be goes hunting again.” As the kiwi is protected and no one is allowed to take one or keep one in captivity, the permission of the Minister for Internal Affairs is to be asked in order that this interesting little foundling may be presented to the Auckland Zoo.