#definitely typos in the copy pasting situation and whatnot

[dykeboi]

A little game of translation telephone. Original English edition, published French edition, my own English translation which I made without seeing the original. Birds of the World by Oliver Luther Austin.

English: The visitor to New Zealand who sees Kiwis in their native haunts today is fortunate. This is not because they are rare, but because they are so shy and retiring. They live in thick, swampy forests where they spend their days hidden in burrows or under spreading tree roots, and come out to forage only at night. But with luck, and in the "proper bush", as the New Zealanders call what little is left of the primeval kauri and tree fern forests, one may still here the shrill piping calls that long ago led the native Maoris to call them kiwis.

Roly-poly birds about the size of a large chicken, the Kiwis are the smallest of the primitive flightless birds. They differ from the other four families of living Ratites (birds with no keel on the breastbone) in so many anatomical features that their position in the avian family tree, other than close to its base, is uncertain. Their closest relatives seem to be the extinct Moas that shared New Zealand with them until about 700 years ago.

The three living species of Kiwis (two more are known from Pleistocene fossil deposits) are the only representatives of their family and order. They have dwindled in numbers over the past century. Part of their decline is attributable to the clearing of the New Zealand forests for agriculture, part to the introduction of stoats, weasels, opossums, dogs, and cats. Though early settlers hunted them for food, the Kiwis have since earned a warm place in the hearts of the New Zealanders and are now rigidly protected.

In appearance Kiwis are strangely unbirdlike, and seem to be all body, bill, and feet. Their short, stout legs are spaced so far apart that they run with an awkward rolling gait, like an ungainly mechanical toy. Their long, coarse plumage com- pletely hides their rudimentary 2-inch wings. They have neither wing nor tail plumes. Their contour feathers, whose lack of interlocking barbules gives them their hairlike effect, grow thickly all over the body except for a hidden bare patch on each side just under the ridiculous wings. Into this patch the kiwi tucks its head and bill when sleeping.

Kiwis are the only birds whose nostrils open at the very tip of the bill. They have a keen sense of smell, which most other birds lack, and apparently find the grubs and worms they eat mostly by odor. Their rather poor eyesight is com pensated for in part by long, hairy bristles at the base of their 6-inch bill. These are believed to have a tactile function.

Kiwis nest in underground burrows and, as in most ratites, the male does all the incubating. The chalky white eggs are enormous, about 5 inches long. They weigh almost a pound, practically one fourth of the female's body weight. The clutch is one, rarely two, eggs, which takes 75 to 80 days to hatch.

Probably no bird or animal on earth has become more symbolic of its homeland than the kiwi. The chief motif on the Dominion seal, it also appears on New Zealand coins and postage stamps. It is used as a trademark for textiles, shoe polish, flour, and a score of other New Zealand products. New Zealand overseas troops proudly call themselves Kiwis. Such sentiment is the kiwi's best insurance for surviving the drastic changes still being made in its environment.

Français: Il faut beaucoup de chance pour apercevoir des Kiwis sauvages dans leur milieu naturel. Non que les Kiwis soient rares, mais ils sont craintifs et se cachent. Ils vivent dans les forêts épaisses et marécageuses où ils passent la journée, dissimulés dans des terriers ou sous les racines rampantes des atbores, et ils ne sortent que la muit pour se nourrir. Mais il arrive d'entendre dans le "véritable fourré" ainsi les Néo Zélandais nomment-ils ce qui subsiste de la forêt primaire à kauris et à fougères arborescentes leus appel augu et flüté qui les fit appeler "Kiwis" par les Maoris.

Oiseaux rondelets, à peu près de la taille d'un gros poulet, les Kiwis sont les plus petits des Oiseaux primitifs inaptes an vol. lis différent des quatre autres familles actuelles de Ratites, Oiseaux dont le sternum est dépourvu de bréchet, par un si grand nombre de caractères anatomiques que dans l'arbre généalogique avien leur place serait située à la base. Leurs plus proches parents semblent être les Moas qui occupaient avec eux la Nouvelle-Zélande jusqu'au XV siècle environ.

Les 3 espèces actuelles de Kiwis (2 autres ont été retrouvées dans les dépôts fossiles du pléistocène) sont les seuls repré sentants de leur famille (Aptérygidés) et de leur ordre (Apté rygiformes). Leur nombre a diminué au cours du siècle der nier. Cette taréfaction est due en partie au défrichement des forêts de la Nouvelle-Zélande au bénéfice des cultures, en partie à l'introduction d'Hermines, de Belettes, d'Opossums, de Chiers et de Chats. Les premiers colons chassaient les Kiwis pour les manger mais, de nos jours, ces Oiseaux occupent dans le coeur des Néo-Zélandais une place privilégiée et sont l'objet d'une protection sévère.

A première vue, les Kiwis ont à peine l'air d'Oiseaux. Le bec et les pattes semblent plantés dans le corps et celles-ci, courtes et robustes, sont tellement écartées qu'ils tanguent en courant à la manière d'un jouet mécanique. Leur plumage long et grossier cache totalement leurs ailes radimentaires longues de 5 cm. Leurs ailes et leur queue sont dépourvues de plumes et le plumage dont ils sont couverts a l'aspect de poils en raison de l'absence de barbules entrecroisées, il est dense sur tout le corps à l'exception d'une plage dénudée de chaque côté, sous les moignons d'ailes. C'est là que le Kiwi rentre la tête et le bec lorsqu'il dort. Les Kiwis sont les seuls Oiseaux dont les narines s'ouvrent à l'extrémité du bec qui mesure 15 cm. Ils ont. Fodorat fin, contrairement à la plupart des Oiseaux, ce qui leur permet de découvrir les larves et les vers dont ils s'alimentent. Leur vue, assez faible, est compensée en partie par de longs poils raides qui exerceraient un rôle sensoriel et sont situés à la base de leur bec. Le nid du Kiwi est un terrier et, comme chez la plupart des Ratites, c'est le mâle qui couve. Les oeufs blancs, à sur face crayeuse, sont énormes (près de 15 cm). Ils pèsent envi ron une livre, soit un quart du poids de la femelle. La ponte se limite à un, rarement deux œufs, qui éclosent au bout de soixante-quinze à quatre-vingts jours.

Aucun Oiseau ou animal sur terre n'est davantage considéré comme le symbole de son pays que ne l'est le Kiwi. Celui-ci figure comme principal motif sur les armes de la Nouvelle- Zélande, il apparaît également sur sa monnaie et ses timbres poste. On l'utilise comme marque de fabrique pour des tex tiles, du cirage, de la farine et tout un lot d'autres produits néo-zélandais. Les troupes militaires néo-zélandaises séjournant à l'étranger sont fières de se faire appeler "Kiwis". Ces dispositions sentimentales à l'égard du Kiwi sont la meilleure garantie de sa survie, en dépit des bouleversements qui affectent toujours davantage son milieu naturel.

My translation: It takes great luck to see wild Kiwis in their natural habitat. Not because Kiwis are rare, but that they're shy and hide themselves. They live in thick, swampy forests where they spend the day concealed in burrows or under the creeping roots of trees, and only come out at night to feed. But sometimes you hear it in the "real bush" - as the New Zealanders call it, where it subsists in primary forest of kauri and tree ferns- their high and fluty call which made the Maori call them "Kiwi".

Plump birds, close in size to a large chicken, Kiwis are the smallest of primitive flightless birds. They differ from the four other extant families of Ratites, birds which lack a wishbone in the sternum, by such a great number of anatomical characteristics that in the avian evolutionary tree, their place would be at the bottom. Their closest ancestors seem to be the Moas which lived alongside them in New Zealand until around the 15th century.

The three extant species of Kiwis (two others have been discovered in Pleistocene fossil deposits) are the only representatives of their family (Apterygides) and of their order (Apterygiformes). Their number has decreased over the course of the last century. This rarefaction is due in part to the clearing of New Zealand forests for the benefit of crops, and in part due to the introduction of ermines, weasels, opossums, dogs, and cats. The first colonists hunted Kiwi to for food, but in our day, these birds hold a privileged place in the hearts of New Zealanders and are the subject of strict protection.

At first glance, Kiwis barely look like birds. The beak and the feet seem planted in the body, and the latter, short and robust, are so spread that they sway in running like a mechanical toy. Their long and rough plumage totally hides their rudimentary wings of 5 cm. Their wings and tail are featherless and the plumage that covers them has the appearance of fur because it lacks crisscrossed barbules; it is dense over all of the body with the exception of a bare patch on each side, under the stumps of the wings. This is where the Kiwi tucks its head and beak when it sleeps.

Kiwis are the only birds which have nostrils which open at the end of the beak, which measures 15cm. They have a fine sense of smell, contrary to the majority of birds, which allows them to discover the larvae and worms they feed on. Their vision, rather weak, is compensated somewhat by long straight hairs which okay a sensory role, and are located at the base of their beak.

The nest of the Kiwi is a burrow which, like the homes of the majority of Ratites, is covered by the male. The white eggs with a chalky surface are enormous (close to 13cm). They weigh around a pound, almost a quarter of the weight of the female. The clutch is thus limited to one, rarely to two eggs, which hatch after 75-80 days.

No bird or animal on the earth is considered more of a symbol of its country than the Kiwi. It's featured as the principle motif in the arms of New Zealand, and appears as well on its money and postage stamps. It's used as a brand logo for textiles, shoe polish, flour, and a whole lot of other products of New Zealand. New Zealand troops abroad are proud to call themselves "Kiwis".