Eeisohek. — Ornithological Notes, 191 



frequents the liigher ranges, away from habitations, where it 

 appears at the end of April and stays till September. It is con- 

 fined to the North Island. Early in the morning, and in the 

 evening, the traveller will hear some very sweet notes, like a 

 flute. The call of the male and female is alike, consisting of 

 two notes, like "via," but the song of the male bird is different, 

 and composed of five pleasing notes, like "wo, ku, kii, ku," 

 which sound near, though the bird is generally a considerable 

 distance off. They are very tame, but when they are much dis- 

 turbed it IS very difficult to detect them without a dog. When 

 approached, they hide in the thick crowns of trees, peeping 

 through the branches at intervals to see if the intruder has dis- 

 appeared, in which case they begin to whistle. Should the bird 

 be disturbed a second time, it hops away with marvellous swift- 

 ness through the branches, from one tree to another, so that it 

 requires a very quick shot to procure it. The birds always go 

 in pairs, male and female together ; and if the call be imitated, 

 they come hopping along, often so near that I could almost 

 touch them. In October, they retreat to very thickly- wooded 

 gullies, between the highest ranges, where they breed, and are 

 seldom seen. The plumage is slate-colour, with a brownish 

 tinge on the wings, back, and tail, a small black bar on top of 

 the head, near the root of the bill ; wattles blue in the adult, 

 pink, and smaller, in the young bird. My belief is that they 

 breed twice a year, and have two or three young at a time. 

 Early in April, 1880, on the Tokatea Ranges, near Castlehill, 

 I found in a tussock on a tree a nest with three young half- 

 fledged birds, one of which I secured ; the others escaped. The 

 nest was built very carelessly of dry branches, ferns, and moss, 

 and about 30 feet from the ground. In February, 1882, I shot 

 two full-grown young birds in the Pirongia Eanges. I also ob- 

 served this bird in September, 1879, in the Tangahuia Eanges ; 

 in 1880, in Mamigataroto ; near Ngunguru in 1882, and on the 

 Great Barrier and Waitakerei Eanges. It is strange I never 

 met with this bird on any of the islands off the east coast 

 except the Great Barrier, w^here most of the New Zealand birds 

 are more plentiful than on the mainland. This bird feeds on 

 berries and the young leaves of various plants, which I have 

 found in their crops. It uses its wings, which are short and 

 small for its size, very seldom, and only to flutter down, but is 

 very active and quick in climbing. In December, 1885, I ob- 

 served three young birds sitting outside a nest, which was in 

 the crown of a very thick miro, in the Waitakerei Eanges. 

 They disappeared into the nest when I approached, and in a 

 few days went away with their parents. In the pairing season, 

 when not disturbed, the male makes various evolutions by 

 drooping and spreading the wings, erecting the tail, with 

 bent down head and outstretched neck, in a similar way to the 



