Mutton birds and other birds

Description:

Identifier: muttonbirdsother00guth (find matches)
Title: Mutton birds and other birds
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Guthrie-Smith, H. (Herbert), 1861-1940
Subjects: Birds -- New Zealand
Publisher: Christchurch, N.Z. : Whitcombe and Tombs
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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fer in the im-mediate future a still further decreasein their numbers. Already, as hasbeen pointed out, the vast propor-tion of the warmer and more fertile landshave been settled, and the indigenous speciesexpelled therefrom. For many years, however,our native birds have enjoyed a respiteowing to the dilatory policy adopted in regardto the Native Lands of the North Island.This cannot continue, and within a short periodthese blocks too will be thrown open to settle-ment. Within twenty-five years, perhaps, onlythe most inaccessible and barren open lands, theforests valueless for timber, and growing onsoils worthless for farming purposes, and thelow-l3dng swamp lands, will remain. With anarea of wilderness thus restricted, the foodsupply will, both in quality and quantity, becurtailed in a still greater degree. Even imder these adverse conditions, however,something can be done, and the planting of treesand shrubs capable of yielding nectar andberiies would well repay the labour involved.
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CQ U AND OTHER BIRDS 141 Oiims that ))loss()in in mid-winter, fnclisias, andmany otlier aliens could easily be grown in themild climate of Stewart Island. As on the westcoast of Scotland kowhai, cabbage tree, flax,matipo, and mamika lionrish with luxuriance,so along the ocean edge of our WestlandNational Park and whore the warmth of the seaallows no frost, many early flowering foreignplants could be established.* For suitable food birds will travel consider-able distances, and in search of it, will pass overopen stretches of treeless pasture lands. InNapier itself the Tuis that in spring feed on thenectar of the surviving kowhai trees, must fly oneor two miles at least. About Gisborne, wherein winter and early spring the Tui and Kakavisit the blossoming eucaly))ts, these birds musttraverse eight or ten miles of open country, andI never was in Ulva, that delightful islet inPaterson Inlet, without finding ^(r. Trailsgarden fuchsias alive with Bell-birds. The Bell-bird indeed is a specie

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