144 Transactions. — Zoology. 



had seen tbera there on the low- stunted karaka trees [Coryno- 

 carpus Iccvigata) the day before ; and so, having prepared his 

 materials, had returned thither early that morning, and had 

 succeeded in taking them.* I am, however, not certain (now) 

 that he had captured all. I might have bought tiism from him 

 for a small sum, but I was too far away from my home in 

 Hawke's Bay, with a long and heavy journey before me, and 

 had no means at hand for preserving their skins. At that time 

 (before, and for many years after,) there lived at Mataikona, 

 near Castle Point, a very curious eccentric old Maori chief 

 named Pipimoho — a true type of the skilled old Maori tJiunga, 

 or knowing-man ! Pipimoho was the only one in these parts 

 who knew how and where to capture these birds ; and this for a 

 long time was his annual occupation, once or twice in the year 

 to go to the inland forests from the East Coast, (to Puketoi and 

 its neighbourhood,) to snare the Huia ; and this was done to 

 supply the principal chiefs of Hawke's Bay— Puhara, Te Hapuku, 

 and Hineipaketia, his superiors in rank. This quaint old man 

 only died about three years ago. From him I have received 

 many a curious and interesting relation, always wishing I had 

 more spare time at command to obtain more.f 



I have also seen this bird in captivity with the Maoris, kept 

 in a large light cage of network for the sake of its tail-feathers 

 (rectrices), which were plucked as they arrived at maturity ; the 

 Maoris fed them with cooked potatoes, and other similar soft 

 vegetable food. 



Dr. Buller, in the same paper, also mentions, and gives the 

 figure of, a larger and more highly curved form of the bill of 

 the female bird than is usually met with. (Loc. cit., tab. iii., 

 fig. 3.) 



Further, I may also briefly state that, among the Parrots, 

 the Maori Kaka, {Xestur merUlionalis, Gml.,) which I have for- 

 merly seen kept in confinement by tbe Maoris, I have noticed a 

 few with very deformed upper mandibles ; those birds had been 

 kept by them for several years, and were aged, and being fed 

 only (and sparingly !) on soft vegetable food, generally cooked 

 potatoes, their bills, from want of their regular natural attrition 

 on the harder substances of the forest, became overgrown and 

 deformed. Indeed, the poor prisoners had not the common 

 chance allowed them of biting and tearing their perch, or any 

 wood (and this from mere thoughtlessness and carelessness, or 

 long-continued custom, on the part of their Maori owners), for 

 they were invariably kept fastened by a bone ring or carved 



* The finding of those birds here, far away from the forests and close 

 to the soa-bcach, is opposed to Dr. BuUer's statement as to their narrow 

 restricted mountain-forest habitat, (^loc. cit., p. 21.) 



t See " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," vol. xiv., p. 54, for a pleasing anecdote 

 concerning him. 



