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BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



The New Zealand Canary, or Whitehead, also 

 owes its safety to sanctuaries, as it was one of the 

 first birds to retire before civilization. With the 

 musical throats of Canaries these birds combine 

 the agility of our English Tits, and the description 

 given might be that of a Tom-Tit. 



"Their principal object in life is to hunt for tiny 

 spiders and other small game, which they find in 

 the bark of the trees. Coming down from the 

 higher branches they dive into the air, fluttering 

 wings and tail, and then quickly rise again. They 

 often cling to a tiny bough head downwards, like 

 an acrobat on a horizontal bar, and no posture 

 seems to be impossible to them." 



One of the most interesting, because rarest and 

 most persecuted, birds protected by sanctuary 

 laws, is the Stitch-bird, once fairly common on the 

 mainland but now peculiar to Little Barrier Island, 

 frequenting inaccessible spots in the densely- 

 wooded mountain gorges. Mr. Drummond records 

 an instance of the "interest" taken in this bird by 

 collectors. 



" In 1880, Reischek, the German collector, visited 

 the Little Barrier specially in quest of a Stitch- 

 bird's skin. He camped on the island for three 

 months without meeting with any success. Two 

 years later he sent his assistant, who remained 

 on the island three months, and succeeded in 

 shooting only one pair. Reischek visited the 

 island again. After five weeks' continuous search 

 .... he removed his headquarters to the centre 

 of the island. Shortly afterwards his eyes were 

 delighted with the sight of the Stitch-bird. He 

 was so excited and interested in watching this 

 rare and beautiful bird's movements that it dis- 

 appeared before he had time to use his gun. He 

 continued his quest for three more weeks before 

 he was able to shoot any Stitch-birds." 



At the end of that time he discovered their 

 favourite haunt, and with infinite pains sought 

 them out and went home happy with their skins. 

 It is stated that over 154 specimens of the bird 

 were taken from Little Barrier before the island 

 was proclaimed a sanctuary. Other birds met a 

 like fate at the hands of the skin-hunters, who 

 " slaughtered thousands of our fine birds for the 

 sake of their skins, which they sold to wealthy 

 collectors and to large institutions in Europe." 



To-day Little Barrier is reported to be an ideal 

 sanctuary. It is owned by the Government, and 

 has for only residents the conservator and his 

 family There is no regular communication with 

 the outside world. Absolutely no natural enemies 



of the bird have obtained a footing. Unauthorised 

 persons cannot land without meeting with incon- 

 venience, hardship, and danger. 



Such national sanctuaries need to be increased a 

 hundredfold ; and it would gladden ornithologists 

 to know that the example of New Zealand has 

 been followed by the several Governments of 

 Australia, who were appealed to by the Inter- 

 national Congress on behalf of the Penguins, who 

 are now responsible for the safety of the Paradise- 

 birds on British New Guinea, and who are the 

 natural protectors of such typically Australian 

 species as the Laughing Jackass and the exquisite 

 Lyre-bird. 



"ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY." 



Mr F. V. Theobald, Vice-Principal of the S.E. 

 Agricultural College, contributes to the current 

 number of Science Progress (No. 6) a careful study 

 of the subject of " Economic Ornithology in 

 relation to Agriculture, Horticulture, and Forestry." 

 Although it cannot be said perhaps to add a great 

 deal to what has already been written on the 

 matter, since in the main it is a summary of other 

 papers and opinions, and some of these again 

 were but summaries of individual opinions, it is a 

 valuable summing up of an unbiassed zoologist, 

 who frankly acknowledges the impossibility of 

 arriving at absolute verdicts. As far as we go in 

 Britain, Mr. Theobald observes, " there is only 

 one way in which we are likely to arrive at any 

 definite general conclusion, and that is by the 

 appointment of a departmental committee to 

 collect all evidence from all parts of the kingdom 

 from farmers, gardeners, fruit-growers, foresters, 

 gamekeepers, and field ornithologists." But then 

 comes in the well-nigh fatal difficulty — 



" The serious question is, do the people who are 

 mentioned as witnesses know enough yet to 

 express a definite opinion ? Have we sufficient 

 evidence as to the actual food of birds at different 

 times of the year and under varied conditions ? We 

 feel bound to answer in the negative." 



Suppose, for instance, we get the evidence of a 

 hundred gamekeepers as to the Jay. Will there 

 be in the hundred one who does not hang on his 

 gibbet every Jay he can shoot ? Yet, according to 

 Mr. Theobald's judicial summing-up, " they do no 

 damage in game preserves, and the gamekeeper 

 is wrong in his persecution of them." 



