56 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Eesolution Island is already partially stocked, the Kiwi and the 

 Kakapo being comparatively abundant there, whilst there is 

 reason to believe that the rare Notornis mantelli (of which 

 only three examples are known) still survives in the island. 

 He also points out that on the Little Barrier Island the Stitch- 

 bird (Pogonornis cincta) finds its last refuge, whilst the Bell-bird 

 (Anthornis melanura), the Whitehead (Clitonyx albicapilla) , 

 and the Wood-robin (Miro albifrons), all of which have dis- 

 appeared from the mainland, are comparatively plentiful 

 there. 



Sir James Hector, in a memorandum on the papers sub- 

 mitted to Parliament, suggests that the various acclimatisation 

 societies might at this juncture give valuable aid, both in the 

 way of collecting rare birds and undertaking the custody of 

 the reserves. His opinion is that " if the Eesolution Island 

 Beserve were placed under the control of the Otago society, 

 and the Little Barrier Island Beserve (when acquired) under 

 the Auckland society, and in each case with a moderate sub- 

 sidy contributed by Government, the work of conservation 

 would be placed on a simple and efficient footing." 



Glaucopis cinerea, Gmelin. (The South Island Crow.) 



I had in my possession for many months a live Kokako 

 from the South Island, kindly presented to me by Dr. Cahill. 

 Although apparently in perfect health, it died at last in a fit, 

 caused, I am inclined to think, by extreme fatness, the result 

 of overfeeding without sufficient exercise. The bird was ac- 

 customed to occupy a large wire cage in my library, and was 

 a very lively companion, being perpetually on the move and 

 very musical. His period of chief activity was in the early 

 morning or immediately before rain, when he would indulge 

 at short intervals in a melancholy call in a high key, exactly 

 like the Maori words " Koicai-koe?" (Who are you?). At other 

 times it produced a short mellifluous whistle, and every now 

 and then a liquid bell-note quite undistinguishable from the 

 evening tolling of the tui. It occasionally, but not often, 

 sounded the rich organ-note — short, but of surpassing sweet- 

 ness — which I have described in my account of the North 

 Island Crow ("Birds of New Zealand," i., p. 2). In addition 

 to all this it has a soft note, in repetition very like the low 

 whimper of the Huia, and, more rarely, a more exact simula- 

 tion of a hollow cough than that of the Tui. I know nothing 

 of the history of the bird before it came to me, or whether it 

 was brought up from the nest or not, but I was often inclined 

 to think that, as a caged bird, it had been exercising some 

 natural power of mimicry. Its usual food consisted of cooked 

 potato, boiled rice, and soaked bread, but it took Coprosma 

 and other ripe berries with avidity, and seemed to relish all 



