Smith. — On the Birds of Lake Brunner District. 209 



together, and spread for many miles across the then open 

 country. 



Apart from the utter destruction of the food, the dense 

 tussock afforded the natural warmth and shelter for the birds 

 during inclement weather and chiefly inclement nights ; the 

 sudden removal of both would, therefore, act powerfully on 

 the economy and habits of the quail. The species, like other 

 birds in their respective orders now becoming extinct in New 

 Zealand, was a highly specialised form among gallinaceous 

 birds, and depended on special conditions, such as I have 

 pointed out, for its existence. The effects of the fires and of 

 €learing and cultivation on the climate, though perhaps at 

 the time inappreciable to man, would aid likewise in extermi- 

 nating the species. 



No more interesting or profitable district could be visited 

 by the botanist or ornithologist in New Zealand than around 

 the shores of Lake Brunner. The magnificent primeval forest 

 is due to the greater humidity of the lake valley as compared 

 with many other parts of the west coast, and to the great depth 

 of vegetable mould, or rich virgin soil, which covered the whole 

 face of the country before the forest spread over it. I have 

 seen most of the great bush-lands of New Zealand, but 

 nowhere can the vegetation of the bush be seen in such 

 profusion and perfection, rivalling in luxuriance the tropical 

 American forests so fully recorded in the admirable works of 

 Bates on the Amazons, and Belt on Nicaragua. 



Among the rich groves of tree-ferns the kakapo (Siyingops) 

 and the kiwi {Apteryjc) have their home. In the saplings of 

 taller growth and among the branches of the towering timber- 

 trees many birds revel and enliven the bush through the day 

 with their rich and varied notes. As evening comes on, the 

 calls of nocturnal and semi-nocturnal species are heard. In 

 the dwarf ferns, the weka moves stealthily about, silently 

 peering into the tent, ready to pick up any bright object and 

 carry it off, to be left and lost in the bush. In the branches 

 of decaying trees the kaka is busy searching in the bark and 

 hollows for insects, uttering, as it flies from tree to tree, a 

 hoarse discordant scream. The little owl [Spiloglaux) answers 

 from all directions the call of "morepork." The croaking of 

 the kakapo, busily, among the ferns and lower branches, con- 

 suming the leaves, and the shrill night-cry of the kiwi, are the 

 only sounds which nightly disturb the serene silence of the 

 forest. 



In my paper to-night it will be impossible to treat the 

 subject so fully as I would wish in the limited time ; I will, 

 therefore, confine myself to a few remarks on each species in 

 the list here appended. It is possible, however, that other 

 species omitted from the list may exist in the lake region 



