8 Dove, Feathered Friends in Neiv Zealand. r2iid'Tuiy 



Feathered Friends in New Zealand, 



By H. Stuart Dove, F.Z.S., Tasmania. 



The aspect of Papanui, in Canterbury, is well wooded and 

 rural, and while staying there during a recent visit to New 

 Zealand I had opportunities of witnessing how completely 

 exotic birds have adapted themselves to new surroundings. 

 English birds seemed more plentiful than in a similar patch of 

 England itself 



In the early summer morning it was very pleasant to be 

 awakened by the " mellow Ouzel fluting in the elm," or by the 

 wise Thrush, who " sings each song twice over, lest you should 

 think he never could recapture the first fine careless rapture." 

 Starlings and Sparrows could be seen at all times ; Goldfinches 

 were nearly as plentiful ; but I looked in vain for the native 

 birds, completely ousted by the bold foreigners. 



On exploring the wilder stretches of the magnificent Botanic 

 Gardens, which stretch for a long distance along the banks of 

 the Avon River, I was more successful. Two species of Fantail 

 lived there — the Black {RJiipidura fidiginosa) and the Pied 

 {R. flabelliferd), the latter by far the more plentiful, and not at 

 all unlike our own little Tasmanian RJiipidura. One afternoon 

 I heard a queer squeaky little song proceeding from a tree at the 

 entrance to the Gardens. I took it at first to be the twittering 

 of a small Lorikeet, but by exercising a little patience I soon 

 discovered that it proceeded from a Pied Fantail among the 

 branches. 



The tail of this species is white, with the exception of two 

 central feathers, which are grey. One bird which I saw in a 

 tree on the river bank had a pure white tail, of which it seemed 

 very proud, spreading it and flashing it about at every oppor- 

 tunity. As the remainder of the bird is soberly tinted, mostly 

 with greys and browns, the effect of the outspread snow-white 

 tail was very fantastic. Probably the omission of the grey 

 feathers would give this fortunate individual an enhanced value 

 in the eyes of his lady-love, lifting him above the profaniini 

 vulgus, the common herd of RJiipiduras, and being thus an 

 advantage to the race, perhaps we may look for a repetition, 

 and finally a perpetuation of the peculiarity. The nest of this 

 species is of the same beautiful cup shape with which we are so 

 familiar, but the tail of the nest appears to be shorter than with 

 us. Three young are usually reared. 



Another bird which I frequently saw in one of the shubberies 

 was the Yellow-breasted Tit {Petrcvca viacrocephahx), which, in 

 the Museum specimen, has a white breast with a yellow tint on 

 the lower part. The individual observed by me had a white 

 breast on ^which no yellow was discernible, so the bird was 



