BLUE AND WHITE HERONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2060, 27 November 1919, Page 4

BLUE AND WHITE HERONS.

(By J. PaGisoa, in the Auckland Herald.)

Quito recently• considerable interest has been manifested in the public, press .throughout, the Dominion in regard to the reappearance of the white heron. In many of the paragraphs this beautiful and now rare bird has been designated the white crane; this is a common error, and even (he late Sir William Fox fell into this habit, as shown in his description id Sir Waller Buller, ot “(he cranaries at Milton and Okor.ito,” The cranes superlicially resemble the herons, but: structurally are more nearly related'to the rail family. They are ustial.ly larger than the herons, have a compactor plumage, partly naked head, large nostrils and elevated hind toe. The cranes comprise some of the, large mading birds; they are common to most parts of the world except South America. The largest in (lie United Slates of America, known as the whooping crane, is nearly extinct, In fact, the cranes in all the settled parts.of the world are “going west.”

There are three herons winch are natives of New Zealand; they arc the white heron, blue heron, and white-Iron ted heron. The respective Maori names are kotuku, matukutuku, and matuku-moana. Makolukn, which is near Damievirke, was evidently named with relation to the whip' heron, and the Malnkuluku River, which (lows into Lake Wanaka, was named after the blue heron. The Waimaluku, a Southland stream, was named after the bittern, which the Maoris called matuku, evidently they considered it as belonging In (he heron family. • THE 'WHITE HERON.

In importance the while heron takes pride of place, as it is the most beautiful, ami was the most numerous in the early days. Us colour is snow white, its bill and ItlpD'S yellow, and .both male and female develop the dorsal plumes in the courting or pairing season: these are the well-known and high-]v-prized egrets, and for which high prices are obtained for head decorations for court ladies in many of the so-called civilised countries. The white heron is common to China, Japan, Malay Archipelago, and Australia. About three months ago a white heron, in company with a blue one, appeared on the property of Mr Crawford Anderson at Stirling, in Otago, then one since then has been seen in the lagoons near .Napier, and at .Foxton, at the mouth of the Manawalu River. In the 'll flies and ’sixties of last century, white herons were fairly plentiful in the Smith Island, especially in Westland, Nelson, and Southern Otago. Mr Potts, an early, observer of bird life, named La la' Heron after them, and stales that they wore fairly numerous in 1857. In 1874 the writer of Guise notes saw four in company at the mouth of a lagoon near Riverton. At that period there was a heronry near the Waimatuku, which (lows into the sea south-west of Invercargill. A peculiarity about the recent visit of Ibis rara avis to Stirling is that it has been a periodical visitation Joe (ho last ten or twelve years, Stirling is not far from Balclutlm, and one has visited the latter pho-e at periods of from two to four years, and in this connection one must keep in mind that in the early ’fifties a large heronry existed at Milton, which is not far distant from Balclutlm. LOCATION OF NESTS.

The white herons have been observed (o ne.-'t and live in close association with the pied shags. Their nests are composed of sticks, twigs, and fern fronds placed roughly together on tree tops, and contain from three to four pale green eggs. These stalely and beautiful waders are patient anglers, and they live almost entirely on fish, eels, crayfish, crabs, and shellfish. \\ hen flying they bend back the neck in a curve, and stretch out their legs straight behind. In the early seventies 1 saw a white heron being pursued hy a sparrow or falcon hawk, and, believe me, the heron can fly some, and always endeavours to keep above his savage pursuer. The Maoris used the feathers of the koluku to decorate the living and the dead. If a Maori man happened to he wearing the white plumes while eating, no woman could join in the repast, the while emblem being tapn. The kotuku was never plentiful in the North Island, but: fairly common in the South Island. Buller remarks that in 18ofi in the North Island that “rare as a koluku” had passed into a proverb with the natives. In 185(5 there were some at Harley’s null-dam, near Wellington. Their habitat is chiefly salt water lagoons, tidal rivers, and beaches. I’oiu or live years ago it was recorded that a pair had been observed nesting on Lake Kanieri. Mr Moller, a surveyor, who discovered the big heronry on the Ukarita River, Westland, counted 05 birds. If my memory serves me aright, that was in the late ‘fifties or early 'sixties. Sir "William Box Avx'ote to Sir W "alter Buller in 1872, and mentioned a big heronry that once existed at Milton, hut was now (1872) extinct. The bine heron was never plentiful in the. South Island, hut fairly numerous in Westland and Nelson coasts and estuaries.- It was fairly plentiful in the North Island, but never really numerous anywhere in New Zealand, THE BLUE HERON. The blue heron loves to angle on shingle beaches, sand burs, sheltered hays and reefs, for crayfish, crabs, and fish of the smaller kinds. 1 can only recall one occasion in which one of these birds was taken in Southland, and that was on the

■Pourapouvakino River, over 30 years ago. Blue inadequately describes the birds’ colour, which is very dark drub, with a slight stone blue generally. The while-fronted heron is claimed as a separate spe-. cies, but this is somewhat doubtful, ns the bird is so closely allied to the blue member of the order of Herodiones. The Maoris named it matukumoana. and to my mind it is a variation of sub-species of the blue heron. Like the blue heron, it is essentially a coastal bird, and fishes from rocks, beaches, reefs, and estuaries. It was probably more numerous in the Bay of Plenty-than any other district in the good old days. Recently they have been observed in 'Wellington Harbour, and in Nelson waters, but they are very scarce. GRADUALLY DISAPPEARING. Generally speaking, our herons arc almost extinct, and the recent visits of the white heron to Foxton and Napier points a query: from whence didthey come? In my opinion they came from the hinterland of Nelson, where on the remoter waters some may still remain. The \isitof to Stirling probably came from the sounds district in ’Western Otago. In the early days of Otago and' Southland specimens of the white heron were,common in the settlers’ homos, and it is quite safe to say that: the destroying angel of this graceful member of our avifauna was the gunner.