﻿520 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Smitli 
  on 
  New-Zealand 
  Birds. 
  

  

  after 
  long 
  and 
  careful 
  consideration 
  of 
  this 
  question, 
  I 
  can 
  

   positively 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  observed 
  the 
  bees 
  in 
  snch 
  

   numbers 
  as 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  honey-caters. 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  them 
  

   daily 
  for 
  years 
  regaling 
  themselves 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  yellow 
  

   kowhai 
  blossom, 
  and 
  during 
  all 
  that 
  time 
  I 
  never 
  saw 
  the 
  

   honey-eaters 
  attack 
  the 
  bees. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  watched 
  them 
  

   feeding 
  for 
  hours 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  peach-blossom 
  in 
  spring 
  

   without 
  the 
  least 
  sign 
  of 
  molestation, 
  nor 
  have 
  I 
  ever 
  observed 
  

   them 
  feeding 
  on 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  species 
  of 
  Diptera 
  that 
  

   frequent 
  those 
  blossoms 
  in 
  fine 
  weather. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  feature 
  

   of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  New-Zealand 
  plants 
  to 
  find 
  ripe 
  fruit 
  and 
  

   the 
  next-season's 
  blossom 
  together 
  on 
  them, 
  and 
  on 
  these 
  

   and 
  minute 
  larvae 
  the 
  honey-eaters 
  subsist. 
  Their 
  habits 
  

   and 
  structure 
  are 
  specially 
  adapted 
  to 
  their 
  mode 
  of 
  living 
  

   on 
  honey 
  and 
  fruits, 
  and 
  their 
  presence 
  constitutes 
  a 
  daily 
  

   charm 
  in 
  the 
  Nevv-Zealand 
  bush. 
  " 
  The 
  honey-bee 
  theory 
  in 
  its 
  

   bearing 
  on 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  birds 
  is, 
  

   I 
  am 
  convinced, 
  an 
  utter 
  fallacy. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  

   bees 
  may 
  not, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  have 
  acted 
  beneficially 
  on 
  the 
  

   economy 
  of 
  the 
  honey-eaters 
  by 
  fertilizing 
  the 
  flowers 
  and 
  

   rendering 
  the 
  trees 
  more 
  fruitful 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  question 
  I 
  leave 
  

   at 
  present. 
  The 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  honey-eaters, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  

   species 
  gradually 
  disappearing, 
  have 
  sufifered 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  

   of 
  rats 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  causes 
  which 
  have 
  diminished 
  the 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  in 
  certain 
  districts, 
  I 
  am 
  able 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  honey-eaters 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  again 
  increasing. 
  

   About 
  fifteen 
  to 
  twenty 
  years 
  ago, 
  w 
  hile 
  the 
  thinning-out 
  of 
  

   the 
  chief 
  timber-trees 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  forests 
  of 
  Canterbury 
  was 
  

   proceeding, 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  undergrowth 
  and 
  the 
  half-grown 
  

   trees 
  were 
  left 
  intact. 
  The 
  clearing 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   timber 
  enabled 
  the 
  younger 
  trees 
  to 
  grow 
  more 
  freely, 
  and 
  at 
  

   the 
  present 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  grown 
  into 
  good-sized 
  fruitful 
  trees, 
  

   bearing 
  berries 
  annually. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  forest-lands 
  have 
  

   been 
  enclosed 
  and 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  grazing 
  paddocks. 
  In 
  the 
  

   forests 
  and 
  patches 
  of 
  bush 
  on 
  private 
  estates 
  sheep 
  and 
  

   cattle 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  graze, 
  and 
  during 
  hot 
  dry 
  weather 
  they 
  

   roam 
  through 
  them 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  undergrowth. 
  I 
  have 
  

   seen 
  considerable 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  cleared 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  

  

  