Nature Notes

(Conducted by Raimanu)

Plucking Live Birds.

IN reading about the birds of one part of the Pacific —Fiji—I came across this interesting bit by Casey Wood, in an article pub lished in 1926. “Until about 15 years ago, Samoans were in the habit of making excursions to Fiji to shoot Kakas and other birds of bright plumage that they might weave the feathers into their mats. They were also not averse to buying live birds that they might pluck regular crops of feathers from their unfor tunate bodies. This cruel practice was continued until the arrival in Fiji, as Governor, of that humane naturalist, Sir Everard im Thurn, who put an end to the scandal. The export of birds to Samoa is now strictly forbidden by law. I am re liably informed that early in 1924, despite the Ordinance, a Samoan was fined £25 for plucking a live parrot for mat feathers.”

The Kaka, by the way, is the big long-tailed parrot of Fiji, varying slightly in coloration from island to island.

Now, as a naturalist, my sympa thies were all with the parrots, and I agreed that the cruel practice of plucking the live birds was rightly stamped out. More recently I came across this, in reminiscences of life in South Africa some years ago: “Geese were plucked every six weeks in summer; as the feathers would otherwise fall out, this did not hurt them. . . . Ostriches were plucked every six months. . . . The wing and tail feathers were clipped, and six weeks later, when the quills were quite dry, these were pulled out painlessly. Some of the body feathers were plucked.” (From The Countryman, Summer, 1952.) Well, what are the rights of the matter? Are some birds capable of being plucked alive without pain or harnij and others not? Or are some consciences more sensitive than others? Or what is the truth of the matter? Perhaps some reader can give us some more light on this subject.

Not that I suggest that the old practice be revived and an open season for parrot plucking be forth with declared, in Fiji, or anywhere else. But it would be of interest to know how geese and ostriches can be plucked alive, while parrots can not.

FRIGATE BIRDS.— An after thought. After writing what was printed in January PIM, and be fore reading the review of The Bombard Story, also January PIM, I came across in Kon-Tiki the note that frigate birds were seen up to 1,000 miles from the South American coast. So it seems we have to hand it to the fellows who go out in their frail vessels to cross wide oceans to get the facts, and

with them we pass it back to Mr.

Gatty. Perhaps he would like to include an afterthought in future editions of the Raft Book? li Mr. and Mrs. Bernacchi returned to Tarawa, Gilberts, early March per RNZAF Sunderland, following vacation in New Zealand and a short period as guests of Sir Ronald and Lady Garvey, in Suva.

Mr. Bernacchi is Resident Com missioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony.

H Mr. John T. Wheelock, Ameri can Vice-Consul at Noumea, visited Fiji during March to attend to Consular business there.