THE NOTORNIS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2539, 6 February 1923, Page 1

THE NOTORNIS.

STRANGE NEW ZEALAND BIRD,

ONLY FOUR SPECIMENS CAUGHT.

Formerly believed to be extinct, a specimen of the notornis mantelli was reported to have been discovered the other day in Dusky Sound by two members of a party led by the ranger of the Southland Acclimatisation Society which had been investigating the success of the introduction of Canadian moose into Southland.

A description of the bird is contained in Hutton and Drummond’s “Animals of New Zealand,” which says that a glamour of romance has been shed around the notornis on account of its strange and isolated position. It was thought that this species had nassed away with the moa, eagle and swan. Only four specimens have ever been discovered. Two are in the British Museum, one in Dresdon Museum and the other one in the Dunedin Museum.

The notornis is very much like a big swamp hen but its beak and legs are much stronger than those of the latter bird. Its bill and legs aro described as massive, and the Maori traditions state that the bird was a contemporary of the moa. Seen side on its plumage is striking but when the bird is running away it displays nothing but greys, which makes it very hard to detect. In the form of its bill and general colouring it bears a resemblage to several Australian birds which, although they cannot fly, are exceedingly fast at running. From the thickness of its plumage and the great length of its back feathers it is inferred by naturalists that the bird affects low and humid situations, marshes, the banks of rivers and the coverts of dripping fern; and, like the porphyrio, doubtlesss enjoys the power of swimming, but would seem from the structure of its legs to be more terrestinl in its habits than the members of that genus. The discovery of the first specimen was made by Mr W. Mantell in 1847 in a. bed of volcanic ashes in Waingongoro in the North Island, and shortly after that some Maoris discovered another specimen at Secretary Island. The two remaining ones were found in the vicinity of Lake Anau in 1879 and 1898 res -_ pectively. The last-named was pur-, chased by the (Jovernment for the Dunedin Museum for £3OO.

The circumstances surrounding its discovery, its great rarity, and the solitary life it leads in the fastness of the West Coast sounds, add to the interest this bird excites. The reference to the notornis in “Animals of New Zealand” says it is judged from observations that the bird is of gregarious habits. It is all the more curious therefore that isolated individuals should' have been caught, and nothing seen of their fellows. “But,” the book asks, “from what enemy does the notornis lleef Wliat native animal of today preys upon it? Probably none. Then the recognition marks of the bird must have come down from a time when there were enemies.” A correspondent writing to the Levin Chronicle says “It might perhaps, be worthy of record that in the early SO’s the writer’s father, who had a wide knowledge of native bird life, was one of a party of musterers working the wild mountainous country in the vicinity of Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri in Western Otago. One day one of the dogs brought in the remains of what was undoubtedly a-notornis. The bird was described as being.a ground bird (which no doubt accounted for its being captured), its predominating colour being blue, but not unlike our pukeko, only larger in size. Its feet were also like those of the pukeko, and tracks were discovered in the snow at the same time which tallied exactly with the feet of the dead bird, and which the musterers firmly believed were made by the notornis. It is quite feasible therefore, that some of the species still exist in the wild fastnesses of the southern fjord district.”