C.—6.

" There are numerous young birds about of most of the different species, especially parrakeets (both red- and yellow-headed). For some unknown reason fantails are not so plentiful as during former years. I have been told that they are very numerous on the mainland at Paraparaumu, so it may be that the fantails went across the channel. This season we had only one pair nesting near our cottage, and their last nest was within a chain of the house. We are almost certain that that terror of small birds, the long-tailed cuckoo, destroyed two broods of this pair of fantails. The cuckoo was seen about the nest, and the adult fantails were in a great state of excitement. I saw on two different occasions the cuckoo raid a sparrow's nest, and take the young ones. Last year at least four pairs of fantails nested within one hundred yards of our house. Young tomtits and robins are all about the bush areas, and young tuis and bell-birds can be seen everywhere. Pigeons are numerous, and at the present time (March) are waxing fat on the karaka-berries. There were more shining cuckoos about during the past nesting season than formerly. This bird is always scarce on Kapiti. " There seems to be good increase in the number of sea-birds around Kapiti. The weather was good during the nesting of the large gull, the red-billed gull, and the white-fronted tern. A pair of black oyster-catchers (Haematopus unicolor) took up their abode on Tokamapuna, and probably nested there, but I was unable to find the nest. The blue herons that nested on the small islet in 1931 for the first time nested again during the past season, and reared two young from out of three eggs. The different nesting-sites, which are used annually by the herons, were all occupied, and young reared in most of the nests. The strange thing about it is that there does not seem to be any more herons here than there were seven years ago, in spite of the fact that at least ten young are reared every year. The nest found last year on Tokamapuna is the only new nesting-site known to me about the island. The surplus must go to the mainland, as I saw a pair flying across in the direction of Pukerua one day last year when I was out about a mile off the south end. " The banded dotterel (Charadrius bicinctus) and the pied stilt (.Himantopus leucocephalus), which nest annually at the north end of the island, were again very plentiful. I had eight nests of the dotterel and six nests of the stilt under observation. I also saw a pair of shoveller ducks (Spatula rhynchotis) swimming in Okupe Lake. " The mutton-birds nested in their usual places on top of the cliffs on the western side of the island, as well as at three different places on the eastern. While there appeared to be more birds nesting at Paripatea, just north of the boatshed, than formerly, there does not seem to be an appreciable difference in the number of nesting-burrows elsewhere. "During the year a considerable amount of planting was done. Species belonging to the island were planted, and a number of plants which I had pricked out in boxes (some of them grown from seed) were put out as they became large enough to handle. Some 100-odd pohutukawas were planted in different places around the coast—seventy-five of them on the western side just above high-water mark. Besides the pohutukawas, the following species from nursery-boxes were planted : Podocarpus dacrydioides, Dacrydium Cupressinum, Libocedrus Doniana, Cordyline indivisa, Hoheria populnea, Entelea arborescens, Gyathodes acero-sa, Nothofagus fusca, N. Menziesii, Metrosideros tomentosa, Hymenanthera novae-zelandiae, Clianthus puniceus, Cyathodes robusta, Podacarpus nivalis, Melicytus lanceolatus, Pittos porum crassifolium, and Arthropodium cirrhatum. " In November last I found the small orchid Bulbophyllum pygmaeum growing on rocks at Paripatea. At the waterfall I found large patches of Arthropodium cinliatum growing on the cliffs. In January last Mr. Morris Jones and I found Senecio latifolius near the track leading from my cottage to the trig, and in the Kahikatea Valley we found the curious vegetable caterpillar (Cordiceps Craigii). " In August last we had a rare visitor to the Island in the shape of a seal or sea-lion ( Arctocephalus Hooheri). The animal stayed about the vicinity of Rangatira for a week, and then went out to sea." Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (715 copies), £11 10s.

By Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 932.

Price 6d.]

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