486 Transactions. 



My purpose is to show what has become, and what is 

 becoming, of our perching-birds, our climbers, our waders, our 

 rails, our fresh-water swimmers. 



Now, with regard to the scarcity of our birds at the present 

 day, we must remember that, although where we are the birds 

 are undoubtedly scarce, there are millions of acres of virgin 

 bush where still our birds exist in great numbers. It is now 

 hardly possible for us city men to make original observations 

 on the birds. We must therefore avail ourselves of information 

 at second-hand, endeavouring to find out what is correct and 

 reliable. Such careful observers as Dr. Cockayne, Mr. Elsdon 

 Best, Mr. W. W. Smith, and Mr. Guthrie Smith, have given 

 me much assistance, and I have had the advantage, through 

 the courtesy of the Government Biologist, Mr. Kirk, of examin- 

 ing all the circulars from the Department of Agriculture on 

 the subject of our feathered immigrants and their effect on the 

 native birds. I have also been fortunate in obtaining from 

 Mr. J. Drummond, F.L.S., copies of his Bulletin, which have 

 been most valuable. To all of these gentlemen my thanks are 

 due, and are hereby gratefully rendered. Dr. Cockayne says 

 that, generally speaking, " all the country along the rail- 

 way-lines (the west coast of the South Island excepted) is 

 quite denuded of forest, except small patches here and there. 

 Proceeding from the north coast of the North Island to the 

 latitude of Auckland is still much forest, the greater part partly 

 cut out, but still fairly dense, while along the flanks of the 

 higher mountains and near Hokianga Estuary, and both north 

 and south, and Whangape is virgin kauri forest. Along the 

 shores of the northern Wairoa and its affluents is much white- 

 pine forest. Forest extends from the Little Barrier Island. 

 by way of the Big Barrier, to the Thames mountains, and thence 

 to Rotorua, almost meeting the great forest which covers with 

 a dense mantle the whole East Cape region, and follows the 

 main chain of the North Island to Cook Strait ; though, so far 

 as the Tararua and Ruahine Mountains arc concerned, the 

 forest is only to be found now upon their Hanks. North of 

 Lake Taupo is a fine forest, and this extends in a more or less 

 broken manner westwards, where to the west of the volcanic 

 plateau comes the great Waimarino Forest. North and easl 

 Taranaki and Egmont is still forest-clad, and so is much of 

 northern Wellington along the head-waters of the Rangitikei, &c. 

 As lor the South Island, the western spurs of the dividing-range 

 and the coastal plain, where such exists, is virtually primeval 

 forest. Patches of forest occur on the mountains of north-east 

 Nelson ; and there are patches here and there still in the Marl- 

 borough Sounds, as well as more extensive areas in D'Urville 



