Wild Life in New Zealand. Part I. Mammalia. New Zealand Board of Science and Art. Manual No. 2. — Story, Setting & Ideas

Structure as a Taxonomic Survey

The manual follows a clear taxonomic order: Marsupialia, Ungulata, Cetacea, Carnivora, Chiroptera, Rodentia, and Insectivora. Each chapter opens with a general description of the group, then moves to species accounts that mix physical description, known distribution, and historical anecdotes. Thomson does not simply list facts; he weaves in narratives from early settlers, such as the detailed account of wild dogs in the Maniototo Plains, where a kangaroo-dog was imported to hunt them. This structure allows the reader to see both the scientific classification and the lived experience of New Zealand's changing fauna.

Recurring Images of Wildness and Extermination

Throughout the excerpts, a pattern emerges: animals are described as they become wild, then are hunted or exterminated. The Maori dog is said to have 'totally disappeared' by about 1896, while wild dogs—half-bred curs—became 'the terror of the flockmaster.' Thomson quotes observers who note the dogs' colouring (yellow, black-and-white) and behaviour (baiting sows, feeding on quail). The same trajectory appears for other species: introduced pigs, goats, and deer are noted for their feral populations. The image of the wild dog 'baiting a sow and her litter of young ones in a dry, tussocky lagoon' recurs as a emblem of unchecked nature.

Movement Between Scenes: From Coast to Alpine Valley

Thomson's narrative moves geographically with ease, from the west coast of the Middle Island—where Dr. Lyall reported wild dogs had 'overrun all the northern part of this shore'—to the alpine ranges of Canterbury and the Maniototo Plains. The reader follows the spread of species: the wild dog appears first on the west coast, then in Marlborough, then in Otago. Thomson uses these movements to show how quickly introduced animals colonised new territory. The shift from coastal to inland settings also mirrors the advance of settlement, as wild dogs were gradually 'exterminated' as the country opened up.

The Role of Eyewitness Testimony

Thomson relies heavily on firsthand accounts, naming his sources: S. Percy Smith, Dr. Lyall, Brunner, R. Gillies, W. D. Murison, and Taylor White. These men provide specific details—dates, colours, behaviours—that give the manual a documentary feel. For example, Murison describes killing fifty-two dogs between 1858 and 1860, noting that most were 'black-and-white, showing a marked mixture of the collie.' Taylor White argues for the distinctness of the Maori dog based on the absence of tan spots over the eyes. Thomson does not simply compile; he lets these voices speak, creating a chorus of observers whose reports collectively map the rise and fall of wild populations.

Thomson's manual is best read as a layered document: a scientific survey that doubles as a historical record of ecological upheaval. Readers interested in the interplay between observation and narrative will find rich material in the quoted testimonies. The book invites comparison with modern accounts of invasive species, offering a baseline from a century ago.

Reading Thomson’s careful tally of stoats and rabbits, I recalled my grandfather’s ledger, where he penciled in each hedgehog’s fate. He wasn’t cataloguing; he was conversing with the land. That same quiet intimacy — the sense of a hand reaching across time to note what crawls and flies — met me in A Short History of Birds & Beasts, for the Amusement and Instruction of Children — Inside the Classic, where wonder never shouts, just waits to be noticed.