64



S. D. Potter—Some British Birds in New Zealand



In addition to the insects already mentioned the Starling, in Auckland

at any rate, has acquired a decided taste for snails, and cracks their

shells in the same manner as a Thrush, but lacks the expertness of that

bird, and does not return with each victim to a favoured stone.


The Thrush and Blackbird are both firmly established and the former

is highly esteemed both as a songster and for the good he does. Although

the Thrush undoubtedly does some damage to fruit, he is by no means

the raider the Blackbird is. Consequently every orchardist’s hand is

against the latter, but his natural wariness and cunning stand him

in good stead and he increases in numbers just the same.


In and about many of the larger towns and in most country districts

as well are small areas of “ bush ”, a few acres in extent, known as

“ reserves ”. These areas are not sufficient to support native bird life

and being usually far removed from the forest areas are rarely visited

by them. It is in these reserves that the Thrush and Blackbird carry

on the work normally done by the indigenous species. Plants, such as

the fuchsia, coprosma, and other berry- and drupe-bearing plants, de¬

pend upon birds for the dispersal of their seeds. And in these areas

a marked increase in the plants of these families is to be seen.


Unfortunately they also disperse the seeds of that terrible weed

the blackberry as well. And it is a common sight to find young plants

growing in the nests soon after the youngsters have flown.


On the mud-flats thrushes may be seen hammering the shell from

the back of a winkle on a rock just as they do from snails in the garden.

When one realizes how hard the shell of a winkle is, one cannot but

marvel at the power of this bird in breaking it.


The Greenfinch, Chaffinch, and Goldfinch are all firmly established,

especially the latter. Goldfinches may be said to be abundaot. Flocks

of two or three hundred are by no means uncommon during the winter

when bands scour the countryside for weed-seeds. The Greenfinch is

more thinly dispersed while the Chaffinch is the most local of the three.


The Pheasant is a common object of the New Zealand countryside,

though of recent years a marked decline in its numbers has been

apparent.


The decrease originally coincided with the use of rabbit poison.

Pheasants entirely disappeared from districts where previously they



