﻿]Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Smith 
  on 
  New-Zealand 
  Birds. 
  513 
  

  

  extinction 
  " 
  *. 
  After 
  a 
  lapse 
  of 
  six 
  years 
  I 
  now 
  venture 
  to 
  

   give 
  a 
  more 
  hopeful 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  by 
  demonstrating 
  that 
  

   some 
  cause 
  favouring 
  the 
  native 
  meliphagous 
  birds 
  is 
  again 
  

   on 
  the 
  ascendant, 
  which 
  bids 
  well 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  re-estab- 
  

   lish 
  A. 
  melamira 
  within 
  the 
  next 
  decade, 
  at 
  least 
  if 
  no 
  

   counteracting 
  force 
  comes 
  into 
  play. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  I 
  

   have 
  frequently 
  visited 
  Alford 
  Forest 
  and 
  Mount 
  Somers 
  

   bush 
  in 
  INIid-Cauterbury, 
  Peel 
  Forest 
  and 
  Albury 
  bush 
  in 
  

   South 
  Canterbury, 
  and 
  have 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  each 
  

   visit 
  found 
  this 
  species 
  to 
  be 
  considerably 
  increasing. 
  I 
  

   lately 
  stayed 
  ten 
  days 
  at 
  Winwood, 
  Mount 
  Somers, 
  and 
  

   daily 
  found 
  the 
  birds, 
  both 
  adults 
  and 
  young, 
  in 
  good 
  numbers 
  

   inhabiting 
  the 
  warm 
  wooded 
  valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Gawlor 
  Downs. 
  

   When 
  at 
  Albury, 
  two 
  months 
  ago, 
  I 
  again 
  found 
  A. 
  melanura 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  bush-covered 
  slopes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tengawai 
  Gorge. 
  Twice 
  I 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  Rocky 
  

   Peninsula 
  at 
  daybreak 
  listening 
  to 
  the 
  waking 
  melody 
  of 
  tlie 
  

   Bell-bird 
  echoing 
  across 
  the 
  gorge 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  bush. 
  

   Both 
  mornings 
  were 
  serene 
  and 
  beautiful, 
  and 
  the 
  mingling 
  

   of 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  numerous 
  birds 
  with 
  the 
  soft 
  murmur 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  far 
  below 
  presented 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  enchanting 
  scenes 
  in 
  

   bird-life 
  daily 
  realized 
  by 
  the 
  ornithologist 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

   I 
  am 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  R, 
  Beck, 
  inspector 
  of 
  roads 
  and 
  bridges 
  

   for 
  Westland, 
  that 
  the 
  Korimako 
  is 
  still 
  plentiful 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  districts 
  that 
  he 
  visits. 
  The 
  causes 
  which 
  have 
  exter- 
  

   minated 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  have 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  the 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  others 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Alps 
  cannot 
  have 
  

   so 
  materially 
  aftected 
  or 
  reduced 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   species 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  forest-clad 
  region 
  of 
  Westland. 
  The 
  

   forests 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Island 
  are 
  of 
  limited 
  

   extent, 
  and 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  worked 
  or 
  cut 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  

   colonists 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Island 
  for 
  building- 
  timbers 
  and 
  fuel. 
  

   The 
  thinning 
  and 
  clearing 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  forests 
  of 
  many 
  trees 
  

   and 
  shrubs 
  bearing 
  melliferous 
  flowers 
  would 
  appreciably 
  

   aii'ect 
  the 
  honey 
  and 
  insect 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  of 
  both 
  meli- 
  

   phagous 
  and 
  insectivorous 
  birds 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  space 
  of 
  time. 
  To 
  

   see 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  Korimakos 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  months 
  regaling 
  

   * 
  Birds 
  of 
  N. 
  Z. 
  ed. 
  2, 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  87. 
  

  

  SER. 
  VI. 
  VOL. 
  V. 
  2 
  O 
  

  

  