Gentlemen!

An Experience With Mina Birds in Tahiti

IN a tree, on the little section of Tahiti we are pleased to call our estate, live two mina birds.

The tree overshadows a small side porch where we pass many of our waking hours. Mina birds, as a rule, are saucy as jackdaws, thievish as ravens and noisy as magpies; but our neighbours are gen tle folk.

Fearful, perhaps, of disturbing us, they so conducted themselves that we were unaware of their presence until one day, at the hour of afternoon tea we became conscious of gentle, low-toned sounds that were as persuasive of a courtier’s voice. Glancing up, we saw our neigh bours, side by side on the lowest and nearest branch gazing longingly at the raisin bread and currant cakes beside us. We invited them to share our re past by placing some fragments along the porch railing; and that is how our acquaintance began.

Coming daily, thereafter, to our table, they have observed all the proprieties.

Never have they presumed on our hos pitality by bringing in relatives and friends: although the birds of the vicin ity are fully aware of the daily rendez vous, The principle of exclusive terri tory appears, indeed, to be a fundamen tal law of mina jurisprudence, the body of which is enforced by a sort of witen agemot of the tribe. Offenders are cited before this noisy assemblage and* if adjudged contumacious, are punished in a variety of ways amid much clamour.

In addition to honouring us with their company, our two friends have rendered services that are beyond price. With the assistance of their kinfolk, they have decimated or destroyed insect pests, the most intolerable of which is a native son of the golden west that came as a tour ist and remained to increase and mul tiply—a big. wicked, bad tempered yellow wasp; much more truculent than the human membership of that great bro therhood of the West Coast of North America.

In the month of May it appears in legions, invades our houses; flying about by day, and crawling up walls and in side our mosquito bars at night, to hang in festoons of buzzing menace over our heads. A favourite evening pastime of this invading wasp is to crawl stealthily up the leg of one’s trousers and to sting lustily if disturbed. This habit causes some embarrassment when a happy even ing social function is surprised by a guest suddenly bounding into the air and rushing wildly to the nearest empty room with the leaps and contortions of a dancer in the rites of Bacchus, and shouting words improper for our wives and daughters to hear.

Such scenes are now becoming rare, by grace of our friendly neighbours and their kindred.

In addition, our fruit trees are pro tected against a species of fruit fly (of which we hear much complaint) in re turn for the sanctuary we give them.

Altogether, in spite of certain deficien cies of character—which he shares with many of the human race—the mina bird is a useful citizen and well worthy of being received into our fellowship.—

A.C.R.

Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Thurston, of Wewak, New Guinea, spent a holiday in Mel bourne, Victoria, early in April. He is connected with planting and mining at Wewak.