IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 16

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY H*\ NEW ZEALAND. (By J. DRUMMOND, F.L.S., F.Z.S.);f This season there has been an inJ vasion of cicadas in several districts of’ tho North Island. These insects be*' long to the family Cicadidss, but tii<s are often miscalled locusts. Thai? principal characteristic, as far as the public is concerned, is a peculiar buza*. ing noise made by the males. Thi» becomes louder in the heat of the sun, and amongst the trees sometime* sounds like the crackling of a forest, fire. " They are here in the Publio Park in immense numbers,” Mr W. W. Smith wrote from New Plymouth on February 15. “ The loud, continuous, stridulous chorus of the males out the* day is a great attraction to visitors.) Tiieir number this summer, probably, is accounted for by the heat of the past two months. The almost tropical weather has helped the pupal development and emergence. Tha large ; dark green species is the most plentiful. Several warm torrential rains that have fallen recently havo moistened the soil around the treeroots on which they feed, and has enabled them to dig the perpendicular tunnels by which they escape to the surface. When they do that they climb the nearest tree-trunk, and their sharp claws clinging to the bark of the tree or other surface on which they may rest, they change into the imago,' or perfect insect.”

~ le insect makes its escape by t 6 case a l°ng the middle or tile thorax and pro-thorax. To demonstrate the vast numbers of cicadas that have emerged into the perfect form, Mr Smith states that the pupal case may be gathered in thousands from tree-trunks and other dry surfaces in his district. Some of the perpendicular tunnels, and also those that are somewhat curved, measure from a few inches in depth to as much as eighteen inches. Some of them were tunnelled up through the solid clay walks of the park. At the time he was writing, the insects continued to appear and to “sing” their ringing simulating chorus all day long, and the sparrows killed and consumed them m thousands. When a sparrow seizes one of the insects, Mr Smith explains, the victim stridulates vigorously in order to escape, and might be heard rasping faintly after the bird had battered it on the hard clay walk'. He has HZ S :r; al cicadas * scap e from sparrows (that were carrying them on w!f,+u V 1 j lu mai W P arts of the WiJ notably in the North v o U^r klai i ld *$ s J rict * ,the cicada still is IZI , p e , ntlfu J-’ and its great chorus in ard ‘\ wn after sunrise until sunset, filling the air with the monotonous sound, which has a somewhat soponfic effect. From the large • 1 j however, the cicada has j?most completely disappeared In some of the country districts of the South Island where it l™. onc T °. ffcntirul, it is never heard “ has succumbed, probably, to the attacks made upon it by the mighty hosts of the introduced birds. y

adtif° r A 6SPOn n e al o^ tll t West Coast asks if the mud-fish, Neochanna apoda, may be used for the table. The answer to the question is that tho species is included in Sir James Hector s list of edible fish of New Zealand an appendix to Captain F. W Hutton s “ Fishes of New Zealand,” published m 1872. It is of historical interest to know that the New Zealand mud-fish was first recognised Hy Sir George Grey. He obtained specimens at Hokitika and forwarded them to Dr Gunther, the famous ichthyolo> gist at the British Museum, in 186?, The specimens were first found on tho site ot the township of Kanieri. Originally it was a rfVvamo covered with dense forest, but the surface clay rested on a deep deposit of gravel, which had been pierced in all directions by the goldminers. No surface or river water, therefore, could collect! there, and the swamp had disappeared. The ,fish were found four feet deep in a stiff clay in which were embedded the roots of trees. The locality was thirty-seven feet above the level of the river and some miles from the sea, and the backwater of the river had reached it during floods. Although tho specimens moved feebly if placed in water when first taken out of the mud, they soon became sluggish and died. They were from three to seven inches long. Later on specimens were found at Hokitika anji Rangitikei, and since a note on the fish appeared' in this column about a year ago the occurrence of the species has been reported from IVoodend and several places in the North Island.

Sir James Hector succeeded in keeping many specimens of mud-fish alive in pure water for several months. He found that in specimens of all sizes the eyes were soon developed, and that the sense of sight became quite as acute as in other fishes. Dr Gunther stated that the eyes in the specimens sent to him were almost rudimentary. Tlie specimens were very fat, the fatty substance penetrating through the skin and soiling everything that the fio| came into contact with. He was surprised to find that the stomach of one proved to be, distended with food', which seemed _to consist of the semidigested remains of the Jarv© of a small fly. All the specimens kept by Sir James Hector in confinement sickened after some months. For many weeks before they died they showed aii inability to remain at the bottom of the tank, which was their , usual place, but floated gently to the surface, tail first, in a helpless manner, as if thev were able to maintain a horizontal position only by a constant effort of the tail, which at last wearied them out. The mud-fisli is related to the lcokopu.

The disappearance of different species of pheasants from many districts iu New Zealand lias puzzled ornithologists for years, and a correspondent at Wanganui has supplied a short account of an investigation conducted by the late Mr S. H. Drew, curator of the Wanganui Museum. About 1899, the Wanganui Acclimatisation Society imported several specimens of the * longtailed Reeves pheasant (PhasianuS roevesii). Most of’ them \ftwe liberated up the Wanganui River, but one pair, with broken wings, was kept in an enclosure at the Museum. At first they ate well and seemed to he in perfect health. Then the male moped, and in four days died. Dr Connolly, who examined the body, stated that death was due to tuberculosis. All the organs, apparently, were diseased, the lungs least. The body was not emaciated, but seemed to be well nourished. It. was sent by post to Dr J. A. Gilruth, who was then Chief Government Veterinarian. “ The disease affecting this animal,” he reported, “ is tuberculosis in a most advanced stage, almost every organ being implicated. The nodules ill the liver, and lungs, when examined microscopically, are found to be filled with masses of the characteristic bacillus.” The correspondent suggests that pheasants in New Zealand may be susceptible to this disease, and that further investigation may throw some light on the want of success in efforts to acclimatise them iri some districts.