INCIDENTS BY THE RIVER.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1922, Page 8 (Supplement)

INCIDENTS BY THE RIVER.

WATER-RAT AND FANTAILS. There are so many side interests at the river that time passes with surprising swiftness. In natural history studies alone there is much to absorb the attention. While sitting by a pool on one of our country streams, enjoying the welcome* shade and cautiously peering into the water for the gleam of trout, I was surprised to see a large water-rat dodge out of a hole •in the cliff. He evidently had business on hand, for without hesitation he began to climb the bole and branches of an overhanging tree. High up and towards the end of a branch, the rodent proceeded stealthily, his objective being a fantail’s nest attached to a twig. The rat had reached within a yard of the nest when a miniature tornado, in the shape of two irate adult fantails, arrived on the scene. They were plainly the owners of the nest, and the eggs or young birds contained therein. Taking in the situation, the wee birds did not fly to the, nest to protect it. Believing that “the best form of defence is attack,” they sailed into the rat without the sl ghtest hesitation. Keeping out of reach of the rodent’s jaws, the birds darted it, turn about, and administered severe pecks, at the rate of two to the second. The rat was inclined to treat the affair with indifference, and tried to ward off the swift blows that were being rained on to his back and shoulders. But he speedily learned that such miniature enemies were not to be desp : sed. In a few seconds the rat turned tail and scampered along the branch and down the tree trunk. Nor did the little tormentors relinquish their attack until the rodent had disappeared into the hole on the cliff side. MOTHER HARE AND YOUNG. A little further upstream I was watching another pool, when I was surprised to see a large hare raise itself on its haunches, and with its mobile ears listening and its nostrils atwitch, gaze all around to ascertain if any danger lurked in the vicinity. I held my breath; I poised like a statue, and the hare did not see me. In a couple of hops she passed by within a yard of my position, and proceeded to browse on some succulent sow-thistle just beyond. I watched with interest, as it is seldom that one can come Jo such proximity to wild things. Presently, at my feet something moved, and there, unconscious of any danger, were two leverets, or young hares, tripping along after their dam, and in turn regailing themselves from the thistle and afterwards from nature’s fount of milk from their parent. It was an entertaining and interesting little picture in nature’s ampitheatre that passed away a pleasant half-hour. 1 A MORTAL BATTLE. In one of the pretty little natural parks that can be found on the banks of most of our trout-streams, I was watching the different forms of birdlife thereabouts. There were tuis, fantails, grey warblers, wax-eyes, tomtits and the noisy blackbird that, senti-nel-like, heralded my approach to allwinged creatures. In a dense thicket 1

discovered a morepork, the pretty little New Zealand ow| that has such a peculiar cry as he calls for more pig. When I approached the owl was asleep, w’ith his eyelids hard closed. I was able to advance to within a few inches before the creature opend his eyes. He glared and blinked at me for quite a minute, and then, expanding his downy wings, glided off, silently, to another part of the bush. I followed him up, and found him seated on a branch alongside another owl. Getting possession of a long, bracken-fern stick, I hid behind a tree and proceeded to gently prod one of the owls in the ribs. At the first prod he glared round at his mate, and uttered a guttural sound. Another prod and he turned to his companion with all his feaI thers ruffled, and administered a severe peck, evidently thinking that his mate had been responsible for the prods. In no time there was a walling fight in progress, and as the two fought it out they used their strong beaks and sharp claw's to such purpose that feathers flew in ail directions, and both fell to the ground. Here the contest was resumed with deadly vigor, and eventually the one that started the fight was killed outright, nor was the victor satisfied until he had torn his victim’s body to shreds. Satisfied with his revenge, he sailed off into the bush. I had unwittingly been the cause of the fatal tragedy, edy.