Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds



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known to the world at large, the Wekas or Woodhens are practically

unknown to the general public outside New Zealand. Not only are

the Wekas amongst the most peculiar and distinctive of New

Zealand’s flightless birds but they form one of the strangest groups,

of birds known, and have always puzzled naturalists in regard to

their true position in the classification of birds. Their scientific

name “ Gallirallus ” implies that they are a connecting link

between the gallinaceous birds and the Rails. At first sight they

resemble huge, thick-set Rails, the size of a domestic fowl, and though

they possess fairly large wings they are quite incapable of flight,

depending upon fleetness of foot to escape their enemies, which

would be very few before the Europeans came to New Zealand. In

fact, in the forest and manuka scrub they will out-distance the

fastest dog owing to the rapidity with which they can move in the

undergrowth. Of course, in the open they would soon be out¬

distanced.


Once exceedingly numerous over the whole of New Zealand, the

Wekas are to-day almost extinct mainly owing to forest fires, dogs,

and the bird proving itself a nuisance to the colonists. In the early

days of settlement no bird was tamer or more familiar. It

frequented the environs of camps and farm-houses always with an

eye on the main chance. It was exceedingly bold and aggressive,

seizing any food which was lying about, or even snatching it out of

the hand. Its unbounded curiosity caused it to enter houses and

camps and bear away any small movable articles, especially small

bright objects such as cutlery, watches, etc. When encouraged no bird

is more familiar than a Weka but, alas! the early colonists being

mostly a set of hard and unfeeling people, bent only on the destruc¬

tion of the native flora and fauna, the Weka found very little

sympathy with them, .especially when it was known to take fowls’

eggs and chickens, so dogs and shooting soon diminished their

numbers, until this bird is a rara avis in New Zealand to-day.


I have been in many districts where a few years ago these

strange birds were very numerous, but now through persecution

they have become very rare and the few remaining birds exceedingly

wary. While it was possible to hear their weird calls at night it



