Vol. VI. 

 1 907 



1 Henry, Paradise Duck at Resolution Island, N .Z. ^7S 



knowledge and attention ! The young ones only eat a little 

 grass, and depend on animal food such as mysis, sand-hoppers, 

 shrimps, and items that they get at low tide. They do not 

 appear to eat a grain of the wheat out of the old ones' food-box, 

 but they have eaten a little porridge out of the water in the food- 

 box, which the old ones will not eat. The little things hunt for 

 their own food, and must be able to choose what is right without 

 any teaching from the old ones. The 27th was another solid day's 

 rain. I heard the duck's scream, and looked out the window 

 and saw the drake thrashing something on the beach. He 

 twirled it over, and flapped it on all sides. When I got down I 

 found it was a little blue Penguin, a tender, young one, and that 

 he had killed it. I believe he could kill a Hawk if he once got 

 hold, for his fighting knobs are far out on the wings, giving a 

 leverage like the handle of a hammer. 



If there had been extensive grass land here the year the 

 caterpillars were a pest (1903) the Paradise Ducks might have 

 reared large families on them, for I remember a beach on Te 

 Anau Lake where every green thing about it had been eaten by 

 caterpillars, even the rushes, and the Paradise Ducks had their 

 young ones there then. The little Ducks here now are con- 

 tinually looking and feeling for something in the grass which 

 they do not seem to find. I do not think the Paradise Ducks 

 could rear their families out on the plains every year now, as 

 they used to do, if there are no grasshoppers. Their only 

 chance would be to rear them in seasons of insect pests, as we 

 call them, but which in reality may be part of the plan for 

 carrying all things on together. 



2nd December.— When the wind blows off my beaches the 

 seav^^eed is all cleaned off at high tide, and then no food comes 

 ashore, so that even the Wood-Hens desert them. I knew that 

 this might happen any day, and wondered how the little Ducks 

 would manage then. The first day it happened I missed the 

 drake, when I was preparing to go in the launch, and some 

 hours afterwards met the whole family of them out in the rough 

 water. They knew my boat and took no notice, but kept their 

 course north-east. I was so much interested in their trip that I 

 went up in the evening to see where they were. I was twenty 

 minutes going before I saw them, and that amounted to a mile 

 and a half. They were right at the head, all very busy catching 

 live mysis in the calm water. The little ones, in particular, were 

 very lively, diving and darting about like fish. I saw they were 

 all right in a good place, and came away. About dusk they all 

 came home, though there was a good breeze against them for 

 more than half the way. The old ones did not come up asking 

 for food, so that they must have got all they wanted in their 

 day's outing. Evidently the drake flew away round the harbour 

 in the morning looking for mysis, found some, came back and 



