﻿888 
  ' 
  Transactions, 
  — 
  Zoolotiy. 
  

  

  signs 
  of 
  gold, 
  tlaougla 
  there 
  is 
  plenty 
  of 
  quartz 
  near 
  McDonald 
  Creek, 
  and 
  

   quartz 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  adhering 
  to 
  gold 
  got 
  at 
  the 
  Forks, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  

   Wateroa, 
  If 
  good 
  reefs 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  discovered 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  use 
  in 
  

   opening 
  up 
  the 
  back 
  country 
  and 
  restoring 
  the 
  now 
  fast-decaying 
  town 
  of 
  

   Okarito. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  inanimate 
  productions 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  if 
  

   we 
  consider 
  the 
  conformation 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  sloping 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  

   range 
  in 
  hills 
  and 
  terraces 
  to 
  the 
  sea-level, 
  we 
  perceive 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  favourable 
  

   spot 
  for 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  those 
  forms 
  of 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  life 
  for' 
  which 
  

   this 
  ' 
  13ird 
  and 
  Fern 
  Land 
  ' 
  is 
  noted. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  sub-alpine, 
  and 
  even 
  alj)ine 
  regions, 
  are 
  found 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   those 
  curious 
  birds, 
  commonly 
  called 
  kiwis 
  and 
  rowis, 
  now 
  the 
  last 
  repre- 
  

   sentatives 
  of 
  that 
  peculiar 
  struthious 
  avi-fauna 
  that 
  once 
  roamed 
  over 
  these 
  

   islands. 
  Although 
  moa 
  bones 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  places 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  South 
  

   Island, 
  their 
  occurrence 
  in 
  Westland 
  is 
  unknown 
  to 
  me. 
  I 
  should 
  be 
  glad 
  

   to 
  learn 
  if 
  any 
  remains 
  were 
  ever 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  

   Haast 
  Eiver, 
  as 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  very 
  great 
  obstacle 
  to 
  their 
  passage 
  

   from 
  the 
  eastern 
  plains 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  Two 
  other 
  birds 
  are 
  peculiar 
  to 
  

   the 
  alpine 
  regions, 
  the 
  kakapo 
  (Strmgojos 
  habrojytilus 
  ) 
  and 
  the 
  kea 
  (Nestor 
  

   notahilis) 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  is 
  getting 
  very 
  scarce 
  now, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  its 
  

   falling 
  an 
  easy 
  victim 
  to 
  dogs 
  and 
  cats 
  that 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  bush. 
  In 
  the 
  

   centre 
  zone 
  or 
  lower 
  hills 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  perching 
  birds, 
  pigeons 
  

   and 
  kakas, 
  etc., 
  and 
  also 
  along 
  the 
  river-beds 
  swarms 
  of 
  Maori 
  hens 
  

   ( 
  Ocyclromus 
  australis), 
  etc. 
  This 
  impudent 
  and 
  inquisitive 
  bird 
  furnishes 
  a 
  

   much-prized 
  article 
  of 
  food 
  to 
  diggers 
  and 
  prospectors. 
  A 
  good 
  dog 
  will 
  

   sometimes 
  catch 
  sixty 
  or 
  seventy 
  in 
  one 
  night. 
  The 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  

   split 
  open 
  and 
  smoked, 
  and 
  will 
  then 
  keep 
  a 
  long 
  time. 
  Their 
  oil 
  is 
  much 
  

   valued, 
  and 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  as 
  many 
  purposes 
  as 
  Holloway's 
  pills, 
  being 
  an 
  

   ingredient 
  in 
  many 
  a 
  damper, 
  and 
  an 
  infallible 
  remedy 
  for 
  bruises 
  and 
  

   rheumatism, 
  besides 
  being 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  general 
  purposes 
  of 
  fat 
  and 
  grease. 
  

   Attached 
  to 
  this 
  paper 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  since 
  

   I 
  have 
  been 
  here, 
  together 
  with 
  those 
  that 
  are, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  found 
  here, 
  but 
  

   which 
  are 
  only 
  included 
  from 
  trustworthy 
  report 
  ; 
  these 
  have 
  a 
  mark 
  

   affixed 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  list 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  district 
  contains 
  representatives 
  of 
  

   almost 
  every 
  species 
  of 
  land 
  bird 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Island, 
  with 
  few 
  

   exceptions. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  petrels, 
  puffins 
  and 
  other 
  sea 
  birds 
  are 
  doubtless 
  

   seen 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  bad 
  weather, 
  but 
  few 
  come 
  ashore. 
  This 
  district 
  

   claims, 
  as 
  pre-eminently 
  its 
  noblest 
  bird, 
  the 
  beautiful 
  white 
  heron 
  (Ardea 
  

   alba), 
  formerly 
  remarkably 
  numerous. 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  since 
  certain 
  

   miscreants 
  destroyed 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  nearly 
  hatched 
  eggs, 
  they 
  have 
  slightly 
  

  

  