The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-10-17
HE WAS A
BIRD "COP. :"
"A Honolulu POIiceman's S
Story.
NEW ZEALAND EXPERIENCE
Managed an Island off Auckland
Harber and Cared for
Specimens.

Frederick Allan Birmingham, who
for the past eleven months, has been
member of the mounted patrol, is a man
Of many and varied experiences. Mr..
Birmingham Is an Australian by BIRTH
and has resided in the Islands for two
years.
After working on a sheep run for
number of years, Birmingham crossed
the water to New Zealand, and in the
course of time became working mana
ger Of society maintained by the New
Zealand government for the purpose Of
conserving the various species Of birds
which for some reason or other were
growing extinct on the mainland.
For this purpose an island called Lit
tie Barrier is set apart, and on this
island Birmingham stayed for eighteen
months in the capacity of manager. He
was really a bird policeman. The cura-
tor of the society is r. Hamilton
Shakespear, and he and his family and
Mr.. Birmingham were the sole resi-
dents of the island during the latter's
stay there.
Little Barrier Island Is sixteen miles
from the mainland, and fifty miles from
Auckland by water. 1t is situated near
the entrance to the Auckland harbor.
The island is twenty miles round, and
consists of twelve thousand acres. 1t
Is very mountainous and some Of the
scenery much resembles that Of the
island of Oahu.
The Government steamboat calls at
the island once every three months and
leaves provisions for the Inhabitants.
Tk,a tot ifraC nj ha infx an
the island raise their own cattle and
vegetables.
The island has only one landing place
On one side there is q barren, boulder
strewn beach; the other side Is very
precipitous. The scenery is described
by Mr.. Birmingham as being exquisite.
Little Barrier Island was formerly
owned by the Maoris. from whom 1t
was purchased by the New Zealand
government for two dollars an acre
Much trouble was experienced with the
former owners when the Government
took possession, as they refused to va
cate the island, and at one time things
looked SO serious that a gunboat was
despatched to the scene. The difficulty
was settled, however, without blood be-
ing shed.
The business of the curator and man
ager is to look after the preservation
of birds, extinct or becoming so, on the
mainland. On the island are some birds
which are not found on the mainland,
although at one time they abounded
there. They are the bell bird, which is
a little larger than a sparrow and of a
greenish gray color. and the stitch bird.
which Is the same size as the bell bird
and Of gray color, with white breast
and yellow wings. The skins Of the
latter are very valuable, Rothschild
having paid as much as a hundred dol
lars apiece for them.
Among the other rare birds that in
habit the island is the tut bird, black
in color, and whose plumage in the
sun displays peculiar metallic effects:
this bird has collar or ruff of white
feathers round it's throat, and like the
stitch bird Is great whistler. Another
bird whose interests are carefully look
ed after is the rewee, a species of plov-
er. that grows to be as big as a chicken,
and lives in the marshes.
Parroquets, with red and yellow
breasts, seafowl of all descriptions,
wood robins, linnets, quail, thrushes.
blackbirds and wild pigeons are all
found in incredible numbers on the is
land. Great numbers of them breed
there and are never disturbed, as no
one Is allowed to land on the island
without having first obtained permis-
sion TO do so from the curator.
The island is covered with dense
brush which produces flowers, and with
the agency of innumerable bees, fine
honey. The stitch and tut birds live on
honey which they suck from the flow
ers. They are also insectivorous feed
| ers
The bell bird and the tut are most nu-
merous Of all the species on the island
and at certain times of the day the
noise made by the feathered host is said
to be deafening
me curator OF the society receives a
salary of twelve hundred and fftv dol
lars year. The manager is paid three
dollars and seventy-five cents a week
| all found.