The Historical Kiwi

Having a dad who knows a thing or two about research can sometimes be a good thing. Take for instance this article we found today in a 1935 Argus (one of Melbourne's oldest newspapers). Turns out, much to my dad's delight, that the National Library of Australia has digitized nearly all the newspapers and magazines published Down Under between 1803 and 1954. A search there for "kiwi bird" turns up 4,098 articles! So far, this is my favorite. New Zealand's wonder bird. With all that was going on in the world in 1935, it's nice to think that at least some people were thinking about and admiring our favorite bird.

Answering JR's comment to my last post, "Kiwi in the Woods" (in which he asks, "do kiwis eat fish?"), here is a little poem I've written:

The Sea

Seagulls flying through the air
snails on rocks,
I watch a boat sail by.

I see a jellyfish glide unseen
like a phantom of the sea.
But there is more than that
which I cannot see, O down in the sea.


You may be wondering how this is related to JR's question. The answer is: seagulls eat fish, and kiwis do not. Kiwis eat insects, seeds, worms, roots, fruit, berries, and... crayfish. I don't think crayfish are really fish. They are freshwater crustaceans that resemble lobsters.

Another poem I have composed is about the kiwi:


The Kiwi

Its feathers soft like fur,
Its beak long and thin,
It burrows deep to make a nest,
And only lays one or two.
But chick fully grown when born.