Chirps and 
Chatter. 
(4) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
Flightless Birds. 
Many of the unique and interesting 
native birds of New Zealand being ill- 
fitted to withstand the advent of civi¬ 
lised man and his domesticated ani¬ 
mals, it is satisfactory to find that 
special efforts are being made to pre¬ 
serve them. Resolution Island, a little 
V-shaped mass of land lying off the 
south-west coast of Middle Island, has 
been set apart as a bird reserve. Here, 
especially, the many flightless species, 
which form such an interesting feature 
in New Zealand ornithology, find a 
sanctuary. Among these may Be men¬ 
tioned the Kiwi and Roa—belonging 
to the genus Apteryx of ornithologists 
—the Kakapo, or Ground-Parrot, the 
Weka, a sort of Rail, the Moa, the 
nearly extinct Notornis, and the Pen¬ 
guin. The existence of this remark¬ 
able group of birds in New Zealand is 
doubtless due to the almost total ab¬ 
sence of indigenous mammalia. 
Notes Concerning their Sanctuary. 
Mr. R. Henry, who has for many 
years been the guardian of this bird 
sanctuary, gives some interesting notes 
of the habits of the flightless birds in 
their island home. The most remark¬ 
able of these, perhaps, refers to the 
Kakapo, or Ground-Parrot. It is 
stated that it breeds only once in two 
years, a habit which is not recorded of 
any other species. And this is not due 
to some individuals breeding in one 
year, and the others the next. In one 
particular year all the individuals breed, 
and in the next none. Months before 
the breeding time arrives the male 
Kakapo is engaged in developing an 
air-sac in its throat. This it can puff 
out like a drum, and it probably assists 
the drumming note, or boom, of the 
breeding season. When there is no 
drumming or booming of the male there 
are no eggs or young. The Kakapo 
has short wings, but no power of true 
flight. The Weka is known to orni¬ 
thologists as the “ ocydrome,” or swift 
runner, for like so many flightless birds 
it is quick of foot. 
Wanton Destruction of Bird Life. 
It is really pitiful the wanton destruc¬ 
tion of bird life that takes place in this 
country. There are still people who, 
in sheer wanton destructiveness and lack 
of feeling, cannot take a country walk 
without destroying nests when they see 
them, rooting up wild flowers, breaking 
branches, and generally leaving a trail 
of spoilt things behind them. There 
is, we believe, less of this sort of thing 
than there used to be; but it is still 
terribly prevalent. What fun can they 
see in it, or what enjoyment they can 
get out of such behaviour, passes our 
comprehension altogether. In the case 
of the birds, it is not only wanton de¬ 
struction; it is a pitiful cruelty. Is it 
altogether in vain, at this season of the 
year, to appeal to these people for a 
little thoughtful regard and loving care 
for the life and beauty of the world? 
The Birds of Hertfordshire. 
At a meeting of the Herts Natural 
History Society, held at Watford, Mr. 
William Bickerton gave a paper on 
“ Birds Observed in Hertfordshire in 
1906,” during the course of which he 
stated that Mr. A. H. Foster, of Hitchin, 
had reported an Albino Fieldfare shot 
at High Down, near Hitchin. Mr. 
Foster also reported that “ bramblings 
were abundant locally as usual.” Mr. 
Foster, who has already collected a great 
deal of information in regard to local 
birds, will be glad to receive reliable 
notes of the occurrences of rare birds in 
the neighbourhood of Hitchin with a 
view to compiling an authentic list of all 
the birds of the district. Information 
should be sent to Mr. A. H. Foster, 13, 
Tilehouse Street, Hitchin. Notes of 
any of the following species, or their 
nests, would be particularly welcome:— 
Hobby, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, Wood 
Warbler, Reed Warbler, Grasshopper 
Warbler, Waxwing, Pied Flycatcher, 
Tree Sparrow, Crossbill, Cirl Bunting, 
Hoopoe, Bittern, any wild Geese, any of 
the scarcer Ducks, Stock Dove, Rock 
Dove, Spotted Crake, Stone Curlew, 
Woodcock (nest), Common Snipe (nest), 
Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, 
Redshank, Curlew, Eared Grebe. 
The Swallow’s Enemy. 
Nothing like so many Swallows come 
