66 Transactions. — Zoology. 



but charred and naked stumps, the whole of this country 

 being at the time of my former visit covered with beautiful 

 forest. From the practical standpoint of material advance- 

 ment there is nothing regrettable in this ; but the fact remains 

 that the home of the Huia is being swept away, and, although 

 these birds, in greatly-diminished numbers, have taken refuge 

 in the wooded mountain-ranges, the date of their extinction 

 cannot be very far distant. 



In conversation with intelligent men in the survey parties, 

 I obtained some interesting particulars relating to the Huia 

 in its native haunts. 



As illustrating its extreme docility, even in a wild state, 

 Petersen, a very intelligent man in the survey party, who was 

 specially recommended to me by Mr. Climie because of his 

 knowledge of the Huia and its habits, related the following 

 incidents. 



On one occasion, almost immediately after pitching a tem- 

 porary camp in the ranges, Petersen found that a pair of 

 Huias had a nest in the vicinity — in fact, not ten yards from 

 the camp. On an old gnarled rata a branch overhung another 

 part of the tree in such a way as to present a broad covered 

 ledge, and this was the spot the birds had selected for their 

 nest. There were three young ones ; this being the only 

 instance, Petersen says, of his finding so many, the usual 

 number being two. The Huias were very tame and fearless, 

 the female bird allowing herself to be handled on the nest. 

 In the evening Petersen took her off, and, placing her on the 

 ground near the camp fire, gave her some food, which was 

 very readily taken. The bird was then replaced on the nest, 

 and manifested no concern at this familiarity. In a few days' 

 time the survey party had to shift camp, and, to their credit, 

 the Huia with her callow young remained unmolested. On 

 another occasion he found a Huia's nest containing a single 

 nestling : this was low down in a wooded valley near a stream 

 of water, whereas all others seen by him were near the summit 

 of the range. The nest was not in a hollow tree, but in the 

 depression formed at the top of a truncated one, with a mass 

 of overhanging vines and epiphytic growth, affording it com- 

 plete shelter. He took the nestling and placed it in a c:ige 

 made of kareao-vine, which was then suspended from the 

 ridgepole inside the men's tent. The old birds followed him 

 to the camp, and continued to feed their young one, coming 

 into the tent for that purpose quite regardless of the men's 

 presence. The nestling got strong and robust, but was so 

 noisy in the early morning that the men complained of its 

 disturbing their rest, so the owner passed it on to a settler in 

 the Makuri Valley. He kept it for a considerable time, but one 

 frosty night its cage was left exposed, and in the morning the 



