Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds 145


The Cormorants


New Zealand is noted for the abundance and also for the striking

plumage of its Cormorants, or, as they are locally known, Shags.

No less than sixteen species are found in New r Zealand waters,

some of them being of great beauty, but, alas! many of them are

now, owing to the insane slaughter of all Cormorants, excessively

rare and extremely local, some species being restricted to a single

small island or even one isolated rock.


The Pied Shag (Phalacrocorax varius) is one of the commonest

species, and many have been seen in a good many places around

the coast, especially on the outlying islands which are at all forested,

for this species is arboreal. On the Little Barrier Island the com¬

monest of the Shags was found there. Not far from the caretaker’s

house is a fairly large nesting site, on a cliff about 150 feet high

and near the top, where the old and gnarled pohutukawa trees

grow out at right angles to the cliff face. The birds built their

large and untidy nests on the most exposed branches which hung

over the waters in positions quite inaccessible to all foes, except

the fool with the shot-gun. At the time of our visit the young had

left the nest and were sitting in rows on the bare branches, looking

very lovely in their spotless black, green, and white plumage. The

old birds were flying backwards and forwards with heavily laden

crops from the sea, intent on feeding the youngsters, but this they

refused to do until we had moved off.


On Stewart Island it was a beautiful sight to see in the trees

by the shores of the placid waters of the many beautiful inlets,

large “ shaggeries ” inhabited by several species of Shags, the Pied

being predominant. In Stewart Island, twenty odd miles from the

southernmost extremity of the South Island, we have a vision of the

splendour that was once New Zealand’s. The avaricious hand of

Man has touched this beautiful island but lightly, and the slight

wounds inflicted have healed. The excessive rainfall has been the

main factor which has saved Stewart Island from the mad

destruction that has gone on on the mainland, for here the forests

are too damp to burn.


Almost the entire surface of this island is very mountainous.



