44 
NATURE NOTES. 
our poor little feathered friends, without whom so much of the 
sweetness, brightness and merriment of our spring and summer 
would be wanting. 
Chagford, S. Devon. Helen J. Ormerod. 
MARCH IN NEW ZEALAND. 
UTUMN begins this month, in rather a half-hearted 
way, to hint of its presence, for in New Zealand we 
miss the beautiful changes and the golden and red 
and yellow of the leaves. In truth the woodlands of 
the colony taken as a mass vary little, spring, summer, autumn, 
and winter. The seasons are not so sharply contrasted as at 
home ; still there are certain facts that indicate the fall of the 
year. 
The leaves of the fuchsia are yellow and ripe in the younger 
wood, or lie rustling and curled on the ground, affording almost 
the only autumnal colouring on the run. There are several 
flowers, too, that belong to March. The graceful whau-whi is 
now in bloom ; it bears a profusion of delicate white cherry- 
like blossoms, and always late in the }’ear. With us the tree 
is an evergreen, but at higher elevations it becomes deciduous. 
Its bark is very tough and does well for tying up flowers, &c., 
in the garden. The tree is called “ thousand-jacket ” and 
“ lacebark ” by the settlers, owing to its numerous thin layers 
of perforated lace-like bark. The Maori girls make hats of 
these thin light skins, but unless stiffened they are too soft 
and flappy for comfort. 
The shrubby veronicas are among our more prominent 
autumn flowers. Many of our New Zealand veronicas are to 
be found in greenhouses at home, where they are admired for 
their graceful habit and long spikes of bloom that vary from 
purple to pink. Horses, cattle, and sheep are very fond of 
the leaves, and the wild cattle in unused country may be 
seen wading through the dense fern on purpose to obtain the 
succulent sweet boughs. The green leaves when thrown into 
fire exude a substance that appears a little like fat, and the 
natives account for it thus. 
Once upon a time a Maori chieftain, having had a son born 
to him, sent across the water for the great magician Kae to 
come and perform the proper rites. This Kae did very 
fully and fortunately, and in order to honour him suitably, 
the chieftain on several occasions called up from the sea his 
pet whale Tutunui and cut a steak from his side. Now Kae 
found the flesh so excellent that he determined to steal the 
whale. With that purpose in view he put off his departure 
