THE EGG CAME AFTER THE CHICK

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 513, 22 April 1949, Page 6

THE EGG CAME AFTER THE CHICK

N our last issue J. H. SORENSEN described the discovery of the first notornis chick which, contrarily, made its appearance before the egg. A notornis egg, however, was discovered, and another colony of birds as well. In this second article, Mr. Sorensen describes these equally exciting events, a ~ ~ a o~

over the excitement of all hands was intense and the plans for the day were unfolded. We were to make a detailed search of the whole valley and, by walking abreast some distance apart, get a count of the number of birds, of the fresh nests of the present season, and also of the old nests in the area. Anything else of note would be observed by the individual searchers and duly recorded. It was a glorious morning and the lake glimmered in the sunshine, keas called from the limestone bluffs, bush birds chirruped as we passed. Few deer have made their way into this part of the country and it was, in consequence, ‘largely unspoiled. Strict silence could not be observed and, in any case, we wished to fiush birds from the tussock in order to\get our census as accurately as possible. We had, also, to call out to the central observers with the notebooks any comment on nests found, and so on. But our first job was to release the chick captured earlier. As soon as "junior" was taken from his carton he gave a loud cheep and was as promptly answered by the parent bird, which had been concealing itself silently in the tussock as we approached. This delight- ' ful bird came back within a few feet of us and all hands were given a really close look at an adult bird. Be the time breakfast was

And what a picture it made in the morning sunlight. Those who had hitherto doubted the peacock blues and greens of the plumage, together with the vivid red of the beak, seen on the museum specimen in Dunedin and in various illustrations, were satisfied. The colouration of the bird in life was even more glorious. Cameras clicked and movie machines whirred, notes were taken, and an excited buzz of conversation went on all around. The chick obligingly peeped, the parent called lustily, and another bird, presumably the mate, gave warning calls from a distance but seldom appeared. Finally the chick was released and in a twinkling was lost to sight in the tussock. The adults, too, _ were now quietened, and we pursued our way along the tussock slopes on the side of the lake. First Takahe Egg "Soon the calls of "nest-fresh" or "nest-old" were heard from various quarters, and more birds were sighted. Several adults were captured and measured and our stock of information concerning them continued to grow. And

then came another thrill, and it seemed only fit and proper that our genial host and leader, Dr. Orbell, should get it first. One bird was flushed from a nest and examination of the nest revealed an egg. We had not dared to hope that an egg would be found so late in the season; but here it was. Dr. Falla had predicted what a takahe egg would look ‘like, -basing his deduction on a knowledge of the allied pukeko. He was correct. The egg was a pinkish stone colour with light and dark brown blotches all over it. Again the cameras clicked and the movies whirred and, rather reluctantly one must admit, the egg was replaced in the nest and our task continued. As with the chick, this must have been the first egg ever beheld, at least by Europeans, though the oldtime Maori must have seen them. The Search Goes On In the afternoon the head of thé valley was reached and then the return trip made and further observations taken. There was an air of excitement about the camp that night which even physical

tiredness could not dispel: kiwis called across the valley and from the beech forest behind, but the one topic was still "takahe." Breakfast was early again to allow time for a further trip into country not touched before and also to climb a ridge to see if any likely country existed in the next valley to the south. Three of our party could not stay any longer; two were to do a circuit of the open "tops" to report on vermin; five of us went up the valley again. More birds were seen but conditions were anything but pleasant on this day. The fine misty rain of the morning developed into heavier showers, making the tussock very wet and the bush unpleasant to scramble through. Late in the afternoon, and all rather wet, we stood on an open place on the ridge which separated our takahe valley from the next to the south. From here we could look back at our lake nestling in the tussock-clad valley, and far down below on the other side were several clearings which looked promising. It was late afternoon, the weather was wet and so were we, and the drop down looked very steep. A Fresh Locality But to. have come so far, see likelylooking country for takahe and not examine it; was unthinkable. Three of us, led by Dr. Orbell, decided to go down on a rush trip. The packs were left on

the ridge and down we went. It was steep, but we wwere spurred on by signs that takahe also used this route, and we emerged finally on the largest of the clearings and commenced our search. There were numerous signs and soon nest sites, both old and new, were found, and at least four birds observed at close range. Satisfied that the takahe used this valley as well, we made up the hill again with only brief pauses to "steady our cardiac respiration," as our medical leader put it. We arrived back at the camp just on dark, very wet and tired, and satisfied that our job had been well done. Last Day The morning broke fine again and was voted a light day for all hands. The main job was finished; there remained only the odds and ends for us to do. It was unfortunate that evidence had been obtained of the presence of stoats in this country, and one of these animals was sighted near the camp on this morning. One of our members was busy preparing sets

for traps to catch stoats; another was taking a vigil with fieldglasses to observe feeding habits of the birds; there were numerous photographs wanted of the locality and its features; more insects to be collected and further flowering plants of the valley to be gathered. Everybody worked cheerfully and such helpful co-operation existed between all members that my self-ap-pointed task of entomologist-cum-botan-ist was a very pleasant one. Many new finds wefe made among the smaller fauna, and at least four new species of spiders have already been identified. What if a yell of "Spider here" greeted me as I tried to put a protesting weta in a glass tube; or a muscular youth handed me a posy of wild flowers with, "I brought this for you, Sir’ in the approved Mts. Mopp manner? It all spoke of the comradeship that existed. Conclusions And what of our main findings? We satisfied ourselves that the takahe lived in the valley in good numbers; that it required a certain type of country and, unless adverse conditions occurred, was unlikely to be found elsewhere; that it existed in a neighbouring valley; that if unmolested it would continue to survive in this isolated mountain fastness. We were fortunate to see both egg and young chick. At close range we observed its peculiar feeding habits on a diet almost wholly confined to the soft bases of snow tussock. But above all was the evidence that, far from being nearly extinct, the takahe, or notornis, was still a very live member

of New Zealand’s strange birds. Incidentally, my extra burden of wheat and maize, about which I had grumbled many times on the trip in, was ignored by the birds. They led a _ primitive and rather Spartan sort of life and such civilised rations were unknown to them. The wheat and maize gave us_ only negative evidence, The greatest danger to the birds is not, in my opinion, the presence of stoats or other vermin, but man. A carelessly thrown match or cigarette stub would result in the devastation of the bird’s food supply and result in a serious reduction in the ranks of a species just holding their own. I discount the possibility of poaching: the penalty would be too severe and public opinion against any attempt to take the birds. And surely’ the New Zealand public are now wise enough to profit by past errors and leave this remnant of our peculiar bird life intact.