Circus Gouldl.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 4 October 1890, Page 2

Circus Gouldl.

Mr 17. S. Drew has published the following inti resting letter in the Wanganni Chronicle It lias been stated that the Great Hawk of New Zealand, "circus gonldi," is a carrion eater, and therefore does not afack live birds. This was again affirmed by Messrs Travers and T. W. Kirk at the July meeting of the Philosphical Society in Wellington, during an interesting discussion on the imported sparrow. With all due deference to these gent'emen, who are po well-l<nown as clever scientists, 1 think they are mistaken. That the large hawk does attack live animals I am quite stnv ; I have kept these birds in confinement, and all rats taken alive were turned into their cage with th« result that they were immediately t-aptured by the hawks. One young hawk I hnd in captivity only a few days, and I gave him a live rat; he caught it an] hopped off to the corner of his cage with his prey securely held by *he talons of one foot. I had another live rat, and wondering what the hawk would do, let the seoond rodent lo'ge in the case ; in a moment the lard made t spring nnd caught this na well, tftkiug one to eaon hand, as it were.

He would not eat them while I waa near, but it proved 'o me that the bird knew exact'y r »vli:io to do, and also the besi place to cat oh hold oi a live rat. Again, my tv>ys and I were in a gully at the back of Cherry-bank when wo heard a gre»tt noise, which we discovered was a bird screaming- in au extraordinary Tiia ncr, but from the sound had no idea as to it.p spe«i-s, although the notes of mo 4 aro familial to us. W- hastened to the -p t, and to our g e>v su-pri c found that the porenms came from a pulc-fco, who, in his terror, was yelling " blue murder." A large hawk had got the bird down and was perched, on top, working away with that treading, kneadinglike motion peculiar to these hawks, but, approaching still closer, I startled the hawk, and as he flew off shot him. The pukeko lay for a while still screaming and then sneaked off in 1 o the raupo. Another time, on the same property, I fouud a hawk with a hen pheasant, and was quite dead. Again, on the sand .hills near the Heads, we found a leveret and hawk together, and the young hare was still bleeding. Tins was in the afternoon, and there had been no shooting or any dogs about during the day. This makes me fee' r«rj confident that, although the " circus gouldi " is a carrion eater, yet he will, when he ha.s tho chance, attack and capture live animals. "What is the most extraordinary in this respect with these birds is the fact — for I believe it to be a fact — that they wi 1 capture fi^h. lam assured by several of the Harbour Board men, who are up and down the river at all times, that they have, on many occasions, seen the large | hawk either catching a flounder or else sitting on the training wall eating cne ;in the latter < ase it is customaiy to pull in and, if in time, to secure the fish tho rascal has cang-hi. If any ol my sporting friends havi! m*t wi^h similar experiences I should b- pleased if they won d communicate thorn.