The Marquess of Tavistock—Breeding Notes for 1933 379



The Bellbird is about six inches in length and of a general olive

green, the wings and tail darkish, the head glossy purple-black. There

are bright yellow pectoral tufts which seem to be never exposed. The

iris is bright ruby red.


The extinction of this bird is very unlikely now that they have

become re-established in the forested areas and while the various

islands where it is common are kept as sanctuaries. I could say a

great deal more about this charming bird but space forbids. Both

the Bellbird and the Tui seem such an intrinsic part of the life of New

Zealand that I can never think of that far distant country without

seeing in my mind’s eye the forms of these two sweet songsters.



BREEDING NOTES FOR 1933


By The Marquess of Tavistock


1933 has been, on the whole, rather a disappointing season, the

number of young birds reared being considerably below the output

of 1932. This was partly due to an unusually large number of reliable

breeding pairs coming to an untimely end between the conclusion of

last season and the beginning of this one. The cock Yellow-rump,

after years of wedded bliss resulting in additions to the population of

anything up to nine young per annum, suddenly fell upon his wife and

inflicted injuries which eventually led to her death. Neither was this

the only domestic tragedy. A hen lutinistic Plumhead, paired to

a green and yellow cock, always wants to nest far too early in the year

at a time which would give her very delicate young no chance of

survival. From the end of February she had been biting the wood

in every corner she could find and just three days before her nest

would have gone in she decided that her frayed nerves and thwarted

maternal instincts must find some outlet and she gnawed a large hole

in her mate’s skull ! It was some weeks before I could get hold of

a green cock and although they paired at once and the hen was often

in a tree-trunk she never properly settled down and finally dropped

into moult without laying. Fatal matrimonial disputes through the



