Eeischek. — Notes on Ornithology. 185 



ill the Hauraki Gulf. When I visited Morotiri Island in 1880, 

 and also Taranga Island in 1883, they were rather rare. On 

 Hauturu Island, in October, 1880, I found this bird very 

 common, but on my second trip in 1882 they seemed to have 

 diminished. 



The sexes differ considerably in plumage : the male bird has 

 upper part black, a white spot on the top of the bill, a white bar 

 across the wings ; throat, breast, and abdomen white : the 

 female, upper part greyish-brown, white spot on top of the bill, 

 yellowish-white bar on the wings, and greyish-white on the 

 throat, breast, and abdomen. The young birds are spotted. 

 The pair build the nest together, of moss, spider-webs, and 

 rotten wood, lining the inside with the down of seeds taken from 

 the various flowers. The nest is always flattened in the fork 

 of a tree. I never found it more than 8 or 10 feet above the 

 ground, and in very thick scrub. The female lays in October 

 from 3 to 4 eggs, and male and female breed and rear the young 

 together twice a year. In the beginning of December the young 

 birds are full-grown, and the parents leave them. On Hauturu 

 Island, in 1880, I found a nest containing two white-brownish 

 speckled eggs. About the end of December, 1882, I found a 

 nest with 4 eggs, near our whare. In 14 days the young birds 

 came out of the shells. Every morning and evening, while the 

 female was sitting, the male came and serenaded her. The 

 song consists of six notes, as " ti, oly, olij, ho," which he always 

 repeats twice. One male came several successive mornings near 

 my whare, I threw him some bread crumbs, which he picked 

 up ; a week after he brought a female and three young ones, 

 feeding them in front of the whare. After a time the male got 

 so bold that he actually came to the door and called for food. 

 They stayed about the whare till I left it. Through its boldness, 

 I think, this bird is becoming scarce. They prefer clearings, 

 where they hop about on low branches with the wiogs 

 slightly drooped, the tail always erect, and uttering a sweet 

 whistle of one note, as '• see ;" the male sometimes five 

 notes. The female is of a most retiring disposition, and is 

 not so often seen as the male. Their food consists of in- 

 sects and larvffi. On the morning of the 10th December, 1883, 

 (after a severe thunderstorm and rain in the night,) I went up 

 the ranges, and in a very thick gully I heard a twitter ; on ap- 

 proaching, 1 perceived a pair of Petroica toi-toi hopping about 

 very excitedly ; after watching them for a time, I went closer 

 and looked into the nest, where I saw three eggs covered 

 with water. On my taking away the nest, the birds did 

 not show any anxiety for their loss. They are very useful 

 in destroying insects, with which the New Zealand forests 

 Bwarm. I often saw them carrying insects over an inch long to 

 their nests- 



