Mutton-birders at work on Entrance Island, off Stewart Island: splitting open the birds after plucking, in readiness for the market.
Description: "The mutton-bird, or black shearwater, is a species of seabird which exists in very large numbers on the southern coast of New Zealand. Preserved in their own fat and packed in seaweed bags, they are looked upon as quite a delicacy by many people. The birds nest in burrows in the cliffs and hills on many of the small outlying islands, and here the young ones are captured in thousands during the season, and prepared for market. The method of preserving and packing the mutton-birds at present in use was known to the Maoris [sic] long before the advent of civilization to New Zealand, and the birds at that time formed a staple article of food." Image from Weekly News, 12 May 1910, p. 3.
Collection: DOCUMENTARY HERITAGEDescription: "The mutton-bird, or black shearwater, is a species of seabird which exists in very large numbers on the southern coast of New Zealand. Preserved in their own fat and packed…