Pakk. — On Notornis mantelli. 227 



captured by a party of rabbiters about the beginning of 1880, 

 on the Maruroa Flat, on the east side of Lake Te Anau. This 

 bird was also sent to England, and at the present time pro- 

 bably adorns the shelf of some foreign museum. Since the 

 above date no fresh example of the Notornis has been secured, 

 although much time has been spent in the search around Lake 

 Te Anau. 



My first acquaintance with this bird dates back to 1881. 

 During the months of January and February of that year I 

 was engaged, with Mr. A. McKay and Mr. John Buchanan, on 

 a geological and botanical exploration of the Wanaka coun- 

 try. On the 20th of January we struck our camp at the 

 forks of the Matukituki, opposite Mount Aspiring, and pro- 

 ceeded up the south branch of that river to Cascade Creek, a 

 distance of eight or ten miles. Here we pitched om- tents, at 

 an altitude of 2,000ft, above the sea, in the shelter of the 

 Fagus bush which covers all the slopes of the sm-rounding 

 mountains and the greater portion of the river-flats. 



Shortly after dusk om- attention was attracted by the call 

 of a strange bird which approached within a few chains of our 

 camp, uttering at short intervals a loud booming note. Now, 

 we were all pretty faniiliar with the calls of the different birds 

 usually met with in the high lands of Otago, but the call of 

 this bird was quite unlike any of them. We knew also 

 the booming note of the bittern, which, although like this in 

 kind, was left far behind both in volume and intensity. 

 Besides, this was a high, mountainous, bush-covered country, 

 ill adapted for this bird, which usually frequents raupo-swamps 

 and creek-banks. After some deliberation we arrived at the 

 conclusion that this was the Notornis, a determination sub- 

 sequently borne out by facts which came under my own 

 observation. 



The next evening, with Mr. McKay's assistance, I lit a 

 large bright fire in the bush, about fom' chains from the camp, 

 knowing from experience that birds of noctui'nal habits were 

 often attracted by the light of a camp-fire. Eetiring a short 

 distance from the fire, we awaited the result. As we anti- 

 cipated, in less than half an hour our friend of the previous 

 evening approached, uttering his booming note as he walked 

 about. We now crawled towards the fire, making as little 

 noise as possible in passing over the dry twigs and leaves 

 lying upon the ground. When v/e drew near, the bird 

 retreated from the opposite side of the fire, and when we with- 

 drew it again approached. This manoeuvre was repeated 

 several times without any success on our part ; but at the 

 same time it should be mentioned that the bird, by its move- 

 ments, exliibited no signs of haste or alarm. 



On several occasions we were probably within four yards 

 15 



