﻿Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Smith 
  on 
  New-Zealand 
  Birds. 
  515 
  

  

  Zealand 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  sixteen 
  or 
  eighteen 
  years. 
  As 
  an 
  

   illustration 
  of 
  seasonal 
  derangement, 
  I 
  may 
  instance 
  the 
  

   several 
  irruptions 
  of 
  native 
  birds 
  which 
  have 
  occurred 
  within 
  

   that 
  time. 
  The 
  frugivorous 
  and 
  meliphagous 
  birds 
  were 
  most 
  

   affected. 
  All 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Parrakeets 
  [Platycercus) 
  swarmed 
  

   into 
  the 
  settled 
  districts 
  and 
  consumed 
  the 
  garden 
  fruits 
  in 
  

   a 
  few 
  weeks. 
  The 
  green 
  currants, 
  gooseberries, 
  cherries, 
  

   plums, 
  apples, 
  pears, 
  and 
  quinces 
  were 
  alike 
  attacked 
  and 
  

   ravenously 
  devoured. 
  In 
  a 
  former 
  paper 
  * 
  on 
  the 
  Parrakeets 
  

   I 
  wrote 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  irruptions 
  they 
  

   perished 
  in 
  thousands, 
  as 
  every 
  possible 
  method 
  was 
  tried 
  to 
  

   trap 
  and 
  destroy 
  them 
  ; 
  yet 
  they 
  compensated 
  the 
  settlers 
  to 
  a 
  

   great 
  extent 
  by 
  consuming 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  many 
  noxious 
  weeds, 
  

   which 
  they 
  attacked 
  when 
  the 
  green 
  fruit 
  in 
  the 
  orchards 
  had 
  

   been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  them. 
  I 
  often 
  observed 
  them 
  in 
  large 
  flights, 
  

   consuming 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  Chenopodium 
  urbicum, 
  an 
  introduced 
  

   w^eed, 
  which 
  grows 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  4 
  ft. 
  and 
  5 
  ft. 
  and 
  spreads 
  

   rapidly. 
  They 
  vigorously 
  attacked 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  

   species 
  of 
  Sonchus, 
  or 
  sow-thistles 
  ; 
  the 
  dock 
  [Rumex 
  obtusi- 
  

   folius), 
  which 
  grows 
  in 
  large 
  masses 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  sluggish 
  

   watercourses 
  ; 
  the 
  Yorkshire 
  fog 
  [Holcus 
  mollis) 
  ; 
  and 
  many 
  

   other 
  injurious 
  plants.^' 
  By 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  March 
  they 
  had 
  

   returned 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  bush, 
  but 
  in 
  sadly 
  reduced 
  numbers. 
  

   Along 
  with 
  the 
  Parrakeets, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  honey-eating 
  birds 
  

   visited 
  the 
  settlers' 
  gardens 
  and 
  subsisted 
  for 
  weeks 
  on 
  the 
  

   blossoms 
  of 
  the 
  wattle-trees, 
  blue 
  gums, 
  fuchsias, 
  pentstemons, 
  

   and 
  many 
  other 
  plants 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  flower-borders. 
  In 
  

   the 
  same 
  years 
  several 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  coast 
  

   of 
  the 
  South 
  Island 
  were 
  invaded 
  by 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  bush- 
  

   rats. 
  These 
  animals, 
  which, 
  as 
  Buller 
  and 
  other 
  writers 
  have 
  

   shown, 
  subsist 
  during 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  on 
  the 
  fallen 
  

   mast 
  of 
  forest 
  trees, 
  were 
  compelled, 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  cause, 
  to 
  

   migrate 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  In 
  the 
  autumn, 
  when 
  the 
  forest 
  

   trees 
  have 
  ceased 
  blooming 
  for 
  the 
  season, 
  the 
  honey-eaters 
  

   attack 
  the 
  ripening 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  early-blooming 
  species, 
  and 
  

   subsist 
  through 
  the 
  winter 
  on 
  the 
  luscious 
  pulp 
  and 
  juice, 
  

   combined 
  with 
  insect 
  food. 
  The 
  latter 
  consists 
  of 
  larvse 
  and 
  

   * 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  N.Z. 
  Institute, 
  vol. 
  x-^i. 
  p. 
  212 
  (1888). 
  

  

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