290 STIDOLPH, Birds Observed near U'eUingtOH. [Til'lp"?!! 



Birds Observed near Wellington, N.Z. 



By R. H. D. STIDOLPH, R./V.O.U., Masterton, X.Z. 



An endeavour has been made in the following article to "list" 

 the species of birds at present found near the city of Welling- 

 ton, N.Z. It is as well, perhajis, to mention, for the benefit of 

 the readers of this journal, the nature of the country concerned. 



'J'he town is situated on practically the southern extremity of 

 the North Island, and the ocean naturally borders it on the 

 southern side. East, north and west, hills arise to heights valu- 

 ing from 600 to 1000 feet, and literally hem the city in, the only 

 area devoid of them is naturally the 20,000 or so acres forming 

 the waters of Port Nicholson, and the fertile Hutt Valley, 

 stretching from the northern end of the harbour for about 12 

 miles northward, and of an average width of about one mile. 

 The only river is the Hutt, flowing through the valley of the 

 same name. 



As far as native bird life is concerned, a vast change has taken 

 place. Originally, practically the whole of the surrounding 

 lands were covered with dense forest and scrub — now nearly a 

 thing of the past. In these forests were found thousands of 

 Tuis {Prosthemadera novcc-zealandlcc) ; Hakas (Nestor meri- 

 dionalis) ; Parrakeets {Cyanorhamphus nova-zealandla;; C. auri- 

 eeps) ; Pigeons {Hemiphaga noi'cc-zealandice) , etc. In the Hutt 

 Valley the now practically extinct Huia {Heteraloclia aciifiros- 

 tris) was found around the homes of the early settlers ; likewise 

 the Saddleback (Creadioii cariiiiculatits) ; the Stitch-bird (Po(/o- 

 nornis cincta) not authentically reported from the mainland of 

 the North Island for the last 40 years, nested in the Kaiwarra 

 Gorge, but two miles from the city. The rare native Thrush 

 {Turnayra tana(jra) also inhabited these parts, and many others, 

 long since gone, driven away by the destruction of the forests 

 and the onward march of civilisation. 



Left to us are still a few of our native birds, with a large list 

 of introduced ones. Of the native forest, it is jileasing to know 

 that practically the whole of the miserable remnants left are 

 public property, and in them birds are protected. P>y far the 

 l)est reserve around Wellington is the Day Bay Bush, but 6^ 

 miles across the harbour from W'ellington. The total area of 

 the reserve is about 623 acres, but about one-half only of this 

 area is forest. The balance is principally open scrub and fern 

 land. The red-beech (NotJiofac/us fusca) and black-beech (.V. 

 solonderi) are the dominant trees of the forest, with a sprinkling 

 of tawkero (Weenmannia racenwso) and rata (Metrosideros 

 robusto). Ferns of all kinds are in abundance. Bird life is not 

 as plentiful as might be expected. 



The birds mentioned in this list are mostly permanent resi- 

 dents, the remainder being those of annual occurrence or regular 



