White.— On the Kea. 277 



Museum very desirous to obtain a specimen of this bird. My 

 brother John saved the skin of one and presented it to the 

 Museum, and this was the first specimen down there. I can 

 suggest no reason for the kea acquiring this new habit other 

 than that the sheep, in whiter-time, which were snowed in on 

 the shady side of the range, would have a coating of snow or 

 frost, and sometimes had long icicles hanging to their wool, 

 so much so that the discoloured snowtracks of the sheep 

 would be more readily seen by the shepherd than the sheep 

 themselves, and from this disguisement of the sheep they 

 might be more readily inquired into by the kea, who might 

 mistake the frozen wool for a snow-covered piece of rock ; 

 but on the other hand the bird did not attempt to pluck the 

 wool from the whole length of the sheep's back, as if in 

 search of buried insects, but confined its operations to the one 

 small area, either behind the shoulders or over the kidneys. 

 Nor did the bird specially desire kidney-fat, which it seldom 

 reached. It was the position and hold of the bird which 

 determined the point of attack, for probably if the bird 

 seated itself on the head or rump of the animal it would have 

 been successfully driven away. A sheep would have great 

 difficulty to turn its head or neck sufficiently backward to 

 dislodge anything seated on its back immediately behind the 

 shoulders. I would say that blood rather than flesh was 

 what the bird desired, for, as said previously, no carcase was 

 ever eaten, though the birds might be flying round in scores. 

 The dead bodies, if touched at all, were eaten by the weka, 

 the hawk, and the rat. I have even known the rat to nibble 

 the tender hoofs from the living, new-born lamb; after a time, 

 if the lamb survived, the hoof would grow down as would a 

 person's finger-nail, and so the damage would be rectified. 

 My knowledge of the kea has no reference to its habits at the 

 present time, for I have for twenty years lived in a district 

 where they are not to be found. As my excuse for writing 

 this I append a copy of that portion of Mr. Wallace's letter 

 which induced me to think it desirable that the habits of the 

 kea should be remarked upon : — 



Dear Sir,-^- Parkstoue, Dorset, 3rd January, 1894. 



I received from a friend of yours a number of the "Journal of 

 Science," containing among other things some remarks on the habits of 

 the kea. As the writer says that I have given " what is generally believed 

 to he a correct description of the bird's habits, &c," it will he time 

 •enough to change it when other New Zealand authorities accept Mr. 

 Huddleston's account. 



I see in another article it is stated that the habit of tearing open the 

 vegetable sheep for insects led to the kea's tearing open first dead sheep 

 and then living ones. . . . 



Yours very faithfully, 



Taylor White, Esq. Alfred R. Wallace. 



