BuLLEK. — Oil Neiu Zealand Ornithology. 345 



had renewed his tail, and then the inconstant lady forsook 

 her second mate and restored to favo.ur her " first love " in all 

 the glory of his long, new tail. Not a bad proof, I think, that 

 even birds are not insensible to the charms of personal appear- 

 ance. It may be added that the last-deserted mate forthwith 

 moped, refused to eat food, and died of a broken heart. 



It would appear that this species breeds twice in the year. 

 A young bushman at Hawera found, in the montli of May, a 

 nest containing eight young ones, which he took and sold for 

 10s. each, the village setilers being very partial to these 

 docile and imitative pets. 



I have examined a caged Parrakeet brought by Mr. Ernest 

 Bell from Curtis Island, situated a few miles from Sunday 

 Island, in the Kermadec Group, where also this Parrakeet 

 was abundant till the introduction of the domestic cat, 

 which soon killed them off. I can detect no difference 

 from the New Zealand bird. It is of decidedly small size 

 (probably a female), and there is a blue tinge on the tail- 

 feathers; but I take these to be merely individual peculiarities. 

 Macaulay Island, where a distinct species closely allied to 

 P. novcB-zealandicB is said to exist, lies about a degree distant 

 from Sunday Island. 



Platycercus erythrotis, Wagl. (Island Parrakeet.) 



This species has a peculiar cry — a short, shrill note — 

 which further distinguishes it from Platycercus novce-zealan- 

 dice. 



A caged bird, from Antipodes Island, having died in my 

 possession, I am enabled to furnish measurements from a 

 specimen in the flesh : Extreme length, 17in. ; extent of wings, 

 12in.; wing from flexure^ 5"75in.; tail, 6in. ; bill, along the 

 ridge 0-90in., along the edge of lower mandible O'oOin.; 

 tarsus, OQOin.; longer fore-toe and claw, l-25in.; longer hind- 

 toe and claw, i -20111. 



Nestor meridionalis, Gmelin. (Kaka.) 



As I have fully explained in the " Birds of New Zealand," 

 there are many well-defined varieties of this characteristic 

 species. I have enumerated and described (at pages 151-157) 

 no less than twelve of such varieties. One of these is the 

 large Kaka of the South Island {Nestor montanus, Haast). 

 The late Sir Julius von Haast, in sending me specimens, 

 wrote., " Even judging from its habits alone, it is quite dis- 

 tinct from the common Kaka. It is never found in the Fagiis 

 forest, whilst the other species never goes above it into the 

 subalpine vegetation." And Sir James Hector, writing to me 

 of the same bird, said, "^I never met with it in the forests of 

 the lowlands. It is more active in its habits and more hawk- 



