24



An Early New Zealand Settler Talks about Birds



wet weather and the birds have a good time ; it seems a shame they

are so few and far between these days.


Anyway, going back again to between forty and fifty years ago, all

the vast bush was quickly taken up for settlement, this resulting

in thousands of acres being felled and burnt each year, and gradually

the birds were forced further back until the high, rough, hilly country

and mountain ranges were their only place of refuge, and nearly all

their feeding grounds were destroyed. I think before the next genera¬

tion our beautiful native Pigeon will be a thing of the past [the Pigeon

has shown a marked increase of recent years in some districts.— Ed.],

and our children to come will blame us if our Government do not set

aside large reserves of native bush—the rougher the better—

in the back country well away from cities, towns, and roads—

and man if possible. Country that is unfit for farming. We have so

much like that in the North Island ; yet much good bush has been

destroyed, abandoned, and is now just waste going back to scrub and

fern ; forests that could have given our native birds like Pigeon, Kaka,

Tui, native Parrakeet, Crow ( Kokako ) (who by the way I still think

should have the honour of being our Bellbird) their natural food, and

I do not think there is any substitute for them.


Our beautiful Parrakeet seems to be dying quicker than the others.

I have only seen one pair in the last seven years in the Manawahe

forest.


Fourteen years ago, when I first came here, they were fairly common.

I saw the last pair about two months ago in a bit of reserve bush I

have close to my home. They only stopped a short time, chattered a lot,

then left.


I remember, as a boy, when they were plentiful, being amused

by their cry in the evenings when flying to their roosting places, always

in pairs. It sounded just like “ Good evening ”, “ Good evening

We really thought they said “ Good evening ” ; it is the only call I have

heard, but they make a lot of chattering noises when feeding and

rearing their young. They are beautiful talkers when caught young

and trained. It was quite common then to see them in the settlers’

homes, but alas ! they never lived many years without their freedom

and natural foods. [There is a bird in Auckland to-day which has

been seventeen years in captivity.— Ed.]



