Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 805 



to be liberated on Little Barrier Island, which, of course, is 

 a sanctuary. Not only are there Kiwis and Kakapos on the 

 block, but there are Blue Mountain Duck by the dozen, 

 Saddlebacks (worth £10 each). New Zealand Robins, Wrens, 

 Owls, Cook^s Petrels (rain bird), Keas, Kakas, Tui, Mako- 

 makos. Warblers, Riflemen, Creepers (very rare), Maori 

 Hens, Fantails, Tomtits, and Pigeons. It was a harvest of 

 rarities. Kiwis are there because the feed is good. We 

 found great worms from 4 to 5 feet in length. The longest 

 one I measured was i feet 10 inches long. As soon as I 

 found them, I communicated with Sir Francis Bell and 

 asked him to have the block declared a sanctuary, and that 

 has been done. It was gazetted some days ago.' '' 



Mr. Griffin writes further as follows in regard to this 

 discovery: — "This district is so far removed from Auckland 

 that I lament I am not able to go and see for myself such a 

 number of our rare native birds. We have every reason to 

 believe that the facts, as here stated, are quite true, and 

 some of the Kiwis arrived in Auckland last week, en mute 

 for the Little Barrier Island, which is situated at the 

 entrance to the Hauraki Gulf. 



" Sir Francis Bell's brother is my next-door neighbour, 

 and he also considers the statement not at all improbable, 

 as tiie district is one that is very little known to either 

 white man or natives. 



" Some New Zealand birds are getting very rare, owing 

 to the burning of the bush for one reason, and stoats, 

 weasels, rats, and cats are responsible for the destruction 

 of many. On the mainland of the Auckland district there 

 are, however, still plenty of Apteryx mantelli, Hemiphaga 

 nova-zsalandicp , Ninox nova-zealandia, Nestor, Cyanorham- 

 phus, Halcyon vagans (one of our very commonest birds), 

 Urodynamis, Chalcococcyx, Acanthidositta, Fseudogerygune, 

 Rhipidura, Botudteria, Prosthemadera, Zosterops, Glaucopis, 

 and Anthornis, not counting the Waders and Sea-birds, 

 which, with one or two exceptions, are very plentiful. 

 Last October, in the ranges at tlie back of Auckland, I saw 

 many Kiwis in one day, and 1 know where there ai-e a lino 



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