NATIVE N.Z. BIRDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1026, 17 July 1930, Page 7

NATIVE N.Z. BIRDS

HABITS AND SPECIES ADDRESS BY MR. E. STEAD Auckland lovers of New Zealand birds were entertained at the University College l-lall last evening, when Mr. Edgar F. Stead, of Christchurch, gdVe an address on this subject, which lie has made a thorough study of for many years. JTis full account of the various birds and their habits was illustrated throughout by photographs, many of which were unique. The earlier part of the lecture was devoted to a description of sea-bird life, but Mr. Stead also found time to give interesting side-lights on the grey and blue ducks, sparrow hawks, common hawks, morepork, tuis, bellbirds, robin, kingfisher, native pigeon and the friendly fern tails.

Two group photographs taken at close range served to illustrate the various methods of stopping and starting adopted by gulls on the surface of the water. The grouping together of gulls serve in a great measure as protection against hawks and big black billed gulls; and in some strange way they manage to arrange that great numbers of them lay their first egg on the same day. This enables the colony to move off together. Photographs were shown of the little blue penguin, one of the three species that nest on the mainland of Xew* Zealand. It builds its nest in boles in the rock. Penguins fly through the water with their wings exactly as an ordinary bird llies through the air. Mr. Stead was convinced that the albatross gave the finest example of gliding flight in the world, and hence came their ability to cover enormous distances with little effort. The biggest of these birds he had seen measured a little more than 10 feet in wing spread. THE MUTTON BIRDS

The mutton birds were the young of the sombre shearwater petrel, and when they were about three months old the Maoris went down to collect them. They were extraordinarily fat at that stage, weighing about 3.11 b., whereas the adult bird weighed only ljlb. to 121 b. When the parent birds had fattened up the young to that stage they went away and left them to fine down until they were thin enough to fly. Waiting to prey on the mutton birds or other small birds was the skua gull. These gulls for part of the year, at any rate, fed almost entirely on petrels, and the young skuas were almost as ferocious as their parents.

The one thing I envy Auckland more than anything else is the little gulls that come and feed in your backyards,” said Mr. Stead. “I do not envy you your great harbour or the splendours of Queen Street, but if anything would make me come ancl live here it would be those gulls.”

In another reference to the New Zealand grey duck, Mr. Stead said there was no finer bird in the world for sport or the table. It was to be regretted that the European mallard had been introduced, because the time would come when it would interfere with the numbers of grey duck.