Jhe £mu 



Official Organ of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 



Bir^Is of a fczitbcr. 



Vol. XI.] 1ST APRIL, 191 2. [Part 4. 



Bush'Birds of New Zealand. 



By J. C. M'Lean, M.B.O.U., Gisborne, N.Z. 

 Part IV. 

 Zosterops coerulescens — Blight-Bird or White-eye. 



BuUer, " Birds of New Zealand " {2nd edition), vol. i., ]). 'j'] . 

 As the result of the observations of two winters, it is thought that 

 the Blight-Bird does not, in the natural course of events, frequent 

 the higher virgin bush in any great numbers. Naturally, their 

 movements are somewhat difficult to follow. In the autumn 

 they become gregarious, and in each year were observed in flocks 

 in many parts of the lower open country before I reached this 

 bush. Here, in 1906, they were noticed as odd birds in May, and 

 from then on began to appear in small flocks about the different 

 camps ; but in 1907 they were already present on the outskirts 

 when I arrived in March, although only a few were noticed in the 

 bush. In each year they soon found out the camps, and by the 

 end of June were in fair numbers about these spots, feeding upon 

 whatever they could gis^t in the way of vegetable refuse among 

 the scraps deposited outside. When once a camp was selected, 

 the flock, gradually being recruited, settled down in a manner 

 unwarranted by the local food supply, hunted but little in the 

 surrounding bush, and practically starved. Generally speaking, 

 those camps nearest the edges of the bush harboured the largest 

 flocks, and the further in one went the smaller they becaniQ. For 

 instance, possibly one hundred birds frequented one on the edge 

 of the 1907 bush, while my farthest in camp of the preceding year 

 supported only some ten or twelve. The snowstorm of July, 

 1906, when 3 feet of snow covered the country, so dispersed these 

 flocks — probably killing many — that hardly a bird was seen or 

 heard for some weeks ; but in August a few again appeared, no 

 doubt from outside, and from then on small flocks remained about 

 these spots till all the bush was down, and were there when T left 

 in October. At a camp from which the men (having finished 

 their contract) had departed a fortnight before, dead birds were 

 picked up in September, where, it appeared, they had simply died 

 of starvation. Thus it seems that, had there been no camps to 

 attract the birds, few would have ventured to winter here. 



In New Zealand the Blight-Bird, though never eating grain, is 



