92 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXIV. 



Bird-Life on Resolution Island, N.Z. — New Zealand has 



now set aside seven national parks in various parts of the main 



islands, aggregating in all some 4,330 square miles of country, the 



greatest of all being the one which embraces the West Coast 



Sounds, and contains no less than 3,600 square miles. Of this 



Resolution Islarid, lying between Dusky and Breakesea Sounds, 



forms a part, and in the sixth annual report of the Tourist and 



Health Resorts Department, just to hand, considerable space is 



given to the question of bird-life in the sanctuaries set apart for 



its protection. The caretaker on Resolution Island, one of these 



sanctuaries, is evidently an enthusiast, for he writes very fully on 



the birds of his island, and says on the whole the larger native 



birds are increasing, but the smaller ones are having a serious 



time at the hands of the blackbirds, sparrows, and thrushes. It 



seems that the smaller native birds were almost entirely honey 



and berry feeders, and that the introduced birds, besides living on 



worms, have adapted themselves to live on berries and honey 



also. He says a sparrow can go over a bunch of flowers of 



Panax ai-horeum, and extract all the honey as smartly as any 



native, consequently the latter has to starve. The Kakapos, or 



ground parrots, are also feeling the stress of competition, for 



they have to walk from one berry-bearing district to another, 



while the new berry-eaters fly, and gather up the whole crop 



before the rightful owners arrive, the consequence being the 



Kakapos have no opportunity to lay up that store of fat by which 



they used to tide over the winters in former years. The want of 



food is also telling on their breeding habits, and a season 



frequently goes by without any attempt at breeding, which can 



only result in their extermination at no distant date. Later on 



he says the sparrow will defeat all efforts to introduce pheasants 



and quail unless food in the shape of hundreds of pounds' worth 



of seed and grain be distributed annually. Another remark reads : 



— " Cascade Bush is full of Wood-hens, by the way they have the 



moss all pulled about, and yet I did not see one of them in the 



bush, though when there were only a few we used to see every 



one of them, for they would come to us, and in that same place. 



In the last three days they must have continually seen my dog, 



but in fear of a ferret kept out of sight. It is wonderful that they 



could make such a change in their manner in about one year. 



Yet it is a fact, for I left the dog aboard the boat, and then the 



Wood-hens on the beach were not afraid of me. But they could 



not bear the sight of the dog ; his colour is suggestive of a ferret." 



Writing in January, he says he had returned from Wet Jacket, 



and found Kakapos there, but just skin and bone, and feels sure 



they will fail to breed again, the second season in succession. 



There is no crop of berries, and sparrows and blackbirds have 



taken everything eatable. 



