NATURE—AND MAN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 538, 23 May 1933, Page 3

NATURE—AND MAN

Leo

Fanning.)

BATTLE OF BIRDS INTERESTIN G MAORI FABLE WHICH POINTS A MORAL. ASSOCIATION'S WORK.

(By

In the second volume1 of his "History of the Birds of New Zealand," Sir Walter JBuller quotes a Maori fable (the "Battle of the Birds"), which was told to him by a Ngatiawa' chief : — "The cause was an eel. The river shag had a swamp of its own; the ocean shag lived on the water. The two shags contended about the respective merits of their feedi'ng-grounds. The river shag lived on eels, the sea shag on snapper. The river shag said to the other, 'Come along with me on shore and see a fine feedingground I have.' The sea shag agreed, and they went together. The formei^ who was standing on a 'negro-head' in the swamp, called to his visitor, 'Now dive!' Down he went, and up he came again with an eel in his beak. 'Now, then, swallow it!' Down went the .slippery eel into the crop of its captor. 'Now, then, throw it up again!' cried the river shag, and up came the slippery eel from the depths of his captor's throat. 'See," exclaimed the river shag, 'that is the beauty of my food; you can do wha.t you like with it.' " 'Well let us go to the sea,' said the ocean shag, 'and I will show you what we can do.' Accordingly they went. 'Now,' said the ocean shag, 'let me see you dive.' 'Not so,' replied the river shag, 'for I have come to see what food you can produce.' So down ' the former went; up he came with a snapper in his bill. 'Good!' cried the river shag; 'now swallow it!' Down it went, disappearing entirely in the stoma'ch of the hird. 'Now, then, throw it up again!' He tried in vain. The sharp spines on the snapper's back stuck fast in the shag's throat. , The river shag jeered at him, saying, 'Death lurks in the food you gather'; and so it was, for the ocean shag struggled till it died. "Th'is was the cause of the battle; for the sea-birds had now discerned how superior was the food on shore, and were determined to make an invasion; so they collected all their forces for that purpose. When the land-birds heard that their ocean brethren were contemplating a descent upon their feeding-grounds, they, too, began to collect their forces to oppose the intruders. The huia, was the bird who called the tribes together with his cry, huia-huia! (assemble, assemble!). The one who kept the fighting party on the alert during the night was the pip-wharauroa (shining cuckoo), his watchword being koia-koia-whitiom-whitiora-whiti-whitiora. This was a vjarning cry to keep the party wakeful. The tui did all the talking, urging them to be brave and big-hearted. The owl was selected to offer the challenge, and he did the pukana (staring defiantly) and that is how his eyes are so large. "The one who threw the last chal-lenge-spear was the tiwaiwaka. Hav-

ing thrown the stick, he came dancing backwards, exposing his rear, flrst on one side, then on the other (just -a.s you see this bird gesticulating, with its tail erect and spread, nowadays). When the forces from the sea ap'proached it was seen that the gannet was put forward to answer the challenge. And as the gannet followed up the defiant tiwaiwaka, the oystercatcher called out ker&a-keria-keria rawatia (follow him up to the end). And so he did follow him up, and made a thrust forward with his bill, and thought he had speared the enemy, when, lo! his spear went through to the other side, for it was all tail! The pigeon then commenced to coo; the kaka cried arara-arara, the seagull sounded his alarm -of haro-haro. Then the two forces came into general eonflict, and the tribes from the sea were defeated and driveri back. That is why they still remain there, whilst the land-birds enjoy their forests and swamps." • New Year for Birds and Trees. Following the recent annual meeting, the New Zealand Native Birds Protection Society faces a new year with a big programme of action for the birds and trees. The new president, Captain Sanderson — for many 1 years honorary secretary of the society which he founded — -is hoping for a large increase of membership. During the next twelve months the society will strive strenuously for an ending of the muddled control of wild life and for a strong co-op-eration of friends of native birds and forests against their enemies — human and animal. IReaders, if you agree with the society's ideals for national welfare, join up. Help to strengthen this movement for the benefit of your country. Send your name to-day to the Secretary, N.Z. Native Bird Protection .Society, Box 631, Wellington. Curse of the Cat. Little pussy, purring so softly by the fireside! What a picture of innocence she makes! Yet a ehange of circumstances may1 turn her and h'er off spring into destroyers of native birds. Many thousands of cats have run wild, and have taken sad toll of birds. Wild or tame, the instinct of a cat is to pounce on a bird whenever it has an opportunity.In a note on New Zealand's outlying islands — the Kermadees — Sir Walter Buller remarked: — "A large fruit pigeon, sijpposed to be identical with the New Zealand species, was abundant till it had been exterminated by the introduced cats. A similar fate has be fallen the redfronted parrakeet on Sunday Island." The guilt of the cat is well shown up1 by Junius Henderson in his hook, "The Practical Value of Birds." "The cat," he wrote "has been the subject of a large amount of careful investigation by naturalists for the purpose of determining just its economie status, resulting in the conviction that it does a gfeat deal more damage in the destruction of birds than good in the destruction of mice and rats. Cats d.estroy more birds than any other animal except man — 1,500,000 annually in New England according to Forbush, and 3,000,000> annually in New York according to Fish'er. In Massachusetts 226 cats under observation killed 624 birds in one day.

Even pet cats, 'taught from kittenhood not to kill birds,' were caught in the act. One one Connecticut estate 5 cats killed 1,000 young pheasants." Occasionally bird-lovers in New Zealand make complaints against cats in the press, and ink is splashed briskly for some days, but the demonstrations die down — and the truant cats live on in their mischief. It is evident that the Dominion's laws must h(ave an ;addii/on — sometMng suitable for the control of predatory catsi, "The Little Captives." . What a pitiable spectacle is a sing- > ing bird in a small cage! There is some excuse for the imprisonment of canaries which have been bred in captivity for many generations, but nothing good can be said for the crampdng smallness of some of their cages. Daphne Neild, in "The Woman's Magazine," has some heart-touching j verses on this subject: — To-day, inside the window of a shop, A sign attracted me — the one worcl "STOP"! I paused observing there were other words Calling attention to a sale of birds. Bright cages housed the pretty things; They perched 011 bars, with sadly quiet wings, Such lovely -tints of yellow, green and hlue We mingled there in every shade and hue! A wee brow hird in solitary state, F1 ew back and forth; perhaps he laeked a mate; Or — was he longing for some woodland tree Where linnets sing and chirp right merrily? Poor little prisoner, who did no wrong, But used to carol forth in happy song When they were free. I'm sure God gave • them wings That they miglit know the joy that freedom brings.