PUYSEGUR POINT AND PRESERVATION INLET, 

 WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE BIRDS. 



R. S. Sutherland, R. A. 0. U. etc. 



Puysegur Point is situated on the southwestern corner of the South 

 Island of New Zealand, and forms the southern point of the entrance to Preser- 

 vation Inlet. The surrounding country is bush-clad; the rainfall is excessive — 

 some 100 to 120 inches a year — and the soil, generally, is of a peaty nature. The 

 peat harbors and forms the breeding place of millions of pestiferous sandflies, 

 the numbers and venomous powers of which must be experienced to be believed. 

 On calm days it is impossible to remain outdoors, and many opportunities to 

 photograph and observe the birds have to be neglected on account of these small 

 pests. The district is a poor one, too, for the egg-collector for the same reason, 

 as many birds remove at the nesting season to places untroubled by flies. 



In times gone by this particular district was noted for its large numbers 

 of the peculiar birds, such as, Kiwis, Kakapos, and Wattled Crows; but these 

 have now ceased to exist. Also, within easy reach of this place, the first living 

 example of what is perhaps New Zealand's most remarkable bird, the Takahea 

 (Notornis hochstetler'i), was taken by a party of sealers. The numbers of the 

 existing species are also greatly reduced, and are in some instances almost extinct. 



No bird is at all plentiful, save some of the introduced species, such as 

 sparrows and goldfinches, and these only at odd times; and sometimes, around 

 the lighthouse on thick misty nights many hundreds of the various petrels can 

 be secured. 



The peculiar birds of New Zealand are strictly protected, and one's work 

 is thereby much restricted, being limited mainly to observation and photog raphy 

 but having had the usual collector's luck, I have secured a few specimens by 

 accident. Many birds have been killed or injured by dashing against the light- 

 house panes at night, and a few have been found dead in the bush and on the 

 beaches. Woodhens, {genus Ocydromus), have been captured in the fowlhouse, 

 in the act of stealing the eggs. 



The list of species observed during a period of over two years reaches a 

 total of over sixty. The names here given are those of Sir D. L. Buller's "Sup- 

 plement to the Birds of New Zealand," published 1905. The native name, if 

 any, is also given. Measurements, where given, are in millimeters. 



(1) Thick-Billed Penguin. {Catarrhactes pachyrhynchus). Tawhaki. This 

 bird is sometimes referred to as the Crested Penguin, (C. chrysocome), but I have 

 carefully gone over the description, and am certain that this is the same as Bul- 

 ler's type. The Crested Penguin proper is, if anything, slightly larger; the head 

 and neck are much darker; and the feet are reddish brown. The feet in " pachy- 

 rhynchus" are dull bluish flesh color. 



I have written so much about this particular bird and its nesting caves, 

 that I hesitate to say more. I have observed the nesting for two seasons, and 

 have by noting a few individual birds decided that they nest sometimes twice in a 

 year. 



(2) Blue Penguin. (Eudyplula minor). Korora. The nesting places of 

 this species are not within easy reach of the homestead, and consequently I have 

 been unable to secure eggs here. However, from observation at Taiaroa Head 

 and other places. I may say that two eggs form the normal clutch. These measure 

 55x45, and are dull white in color. A bird was taken in June 1920. It had a cu- 

 riously malformed bill, and is the subject of a special notice by Dr. Brooke- 

 Nicholls in the "Emu." 



(3). Ganncl (Sulci serrator). Takapu. Hutton and Drummond state that this 

 bird is rarely seen south of Cook Strait, and breeds on Great Barrier Is., white 

 Is. (Bay of Plenty), and Gannet Is. (off Kawhai). That it breeds also in this dis- 

 trict I am now convinced, for I have this season observed a flock of eight young 

 ones. The gannet in small numbers is permanently resident here, and several 



56 



