PASSERIFORMES 145 



Guests (p. 29) states that thrushes "are made ill by the Phytolacca 

 berries, which many other birds feed on without injury." Apparently 

 the statement was based on the case of one individual bird which 

 was unwell after eating some of the fruit, for it is repeated again in 

 his larger work on the Natural History of Plants, where he says: 

 "a song-thrush sickened after eating berries of Phytolacca" Now 

 this plant, the common ink-weed or poke-weed, is very common in 

 the warmer parts of New Zealand, and Mr Cheeseman informs me 

 that thrushes eat the fruit freely. 



Kerner also states that when the fleshy fruits ofBerberis (Barberry), 

 Ligustrum (privet), Opuntia (prickly pear) and Viburnum (Laurustinus, 

 etc.), all of which have seeds exceeding 5 mm. in diameter, were 

 introduced into the crop of thrushes, along with other food, the pulp 

 passed into the gizzard, but all the seeds were thrown up. "The 

 seeds of fleshy fruits which were greedily devoured were thrown out 

 of the crop if the stones which they inclosed measured as much as 

 3 mm." Now barberry is certainly spreading in the bush reserves 

 near Dunedin, and is distributed either by thrushes or blackbirds. 



He also found that of the fruits and seeds which passed the 

 intestines of the thrush, no less than 85 per cent, germinated. In 

 most cases the germination was retarded in comparison with seeds 

 not so treated. But in the case of a few berries, e.g. Berberis and Ribes 

 (currants and gooseberries), it was hastened. The seeds of such 

 plants as grow on richly-manured soil (e.g. Amaranthus, Polygonum 

 and Urtica) after passing uninjured through a bird's intestine, pro- 

 duced stronger seedlings than did those which were cultivated without 

 such advantages. The time taken by seeds to pass through the ali- 

 mentary canal of a thrush was very short, half an hour in the case 

 of the elderberry (Sambucus), and three-quarters of an hour with 

 seeds of Ribes. The majority of seeds took from one and a half to 

 three hours to perform the journey. Small smooth fruits of Myosotis 

 sylvatica (forget-me-not), and Panicum diffusum (a grass) were retained 

 for the longest period. 



The habits of thrushes have not altered appreciably in their new 

 country. Their nests are of similar construction to those found in 

 Britain, and they are lined with mud or cowdung. They breed in 

 September and October, and I have seen the fledgelings in the end 

 of the latter month, and the beginning of November. They usually 

 breed again later in the season. 



They commence to sing, in the South Island at least, in the month 

 of May, that is at the commencement of winter. The earliest date I 

 have noted is a record from Dr Brittin of Papanui, who heard one 

 in Christchurch on 24th April. 



T.N.Z. 10 



