268 Transactions. 



ill 1904 was on the 11th October ; but in 1906 I heard one near Whakatane 

 on the 28th September. In 1903 at Rua-tahima the first I heard was on 

 the 15th October. The koekoea appears soon after the nakonako. When 

 an old Native at my camp saw the first koekoea of the season in that locality 

 he said to me, " Kua puta te koekoea, waineku ana te ahua, ara e ahua poko- 

 rehu ana''' — by which he seems to have meant that the plumage of the bird 

 W8S pale or dingy. Possibly it was a young bird, the markings not yet 

 distinct. 



Both the above species are 'said to deposit their eggs in the nests of the- 

 tataeto (whitehead, Certhiparus albicillus), or tataihore as it is termed at 

 Te Wairoa, Hawke's Bay. The young birds are fed by the tataeto along 

 with its own. 



The koekoea, it is said, does not eat berries, but lives on insects, lizards, &c. 

 The nakonako also eats insects. The koekoea attacks and eats the young 

 of the koko, and is chased and attacked by the parent koko birds. The 

 former does not show fight, but escapes by swift flight. The koekoea were 

 formerly taken to provide plumes for the head-dresses of the Maori. The 

 tail-feathers were so used. 



The term koekoea is sometimes applied to lazy, shiftless folk : " E ! kua 

 rite koe hi te koekoea." It fits well a wanderer or vagabond. 



In an old ivhakatakiri, or song sung while dandling a child, we find the 

 following : — 



Ko te uri au i te whenakonako, 



I te koekoea 



E riro nei ma te tataihore e whangai. 



A substance known as tnimi koekoea, apparently the excrement of that 

 bird, is eaten by the Natives. It is found on leaves, and is said to be dropped 

 by the bird when flying. It is licked off by the Maori, who says that it has 

 a sweet taste. 



The cry of the nakonako, or pipiwharauroa, differs from that of the koe- 

 koea, and it also gives different forms of its cry. These are rendered by the 

 Maori as " Kui, kui! Tioro, tioro, tioro/" Another as " Whiti o, whiti a, 

 whiti of'' But its principal cry is given as" Kui, kui, kui ! Whitiwhiti or a ! " 

 When the cry of this bird is heard, then it is known that the summer is near. 

 When the first cuckoo is heard in the spring the Maori children are heard 

 addressing it as follows : " E manu, tena koe ! Kua tae tenei ki te mahana- 

 tanga. Kua puawai nga rakau katoa. Kua pa te kakara ki te ihu o te tangata, 

 Kua puta ano koe ki runga tioro ai, tioro i te tvhitu, tioro i te waru. Me tioro 

 haere ano e koe tenei kupu e whai ake ki te marae o tama ma, o hine ma. Kui, 

 kui, kui I Whitiwhiti ora!''' (0 bird, I greet you! The warm season has 

 now arrived. All trees are blossoming. The fragrance is scented by man. 

 Once more your resounding cry is heard above, sounding in the seventh 

 [month], sounding in the eighth [month]. Go forth and sing the following 

 song o'er the homes of lads and lasses — ' Kui, kui, kui! Whitiwhiti or a ! ') 



At page 113 of vol. xxxvi of the " Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute " may be found a long and interesting paper on the koekoea. 



The koitareke, or native quail (Coturnix novcB-zealandice), has long dis- 

 appeared from this district. The younger Natives, who have never seen 

 this bird, often confuse its name with that of the kareke, a rail. (See also 

 under " Quail.") 



Koknko {Glaucopis wilsoni ; Blue- wattled Crow). — This bird is known 

 as honge among the Ngati-Tipa and probably other tribes. It is now very 

 scarce in the Tuhoe district, a few being occasionally seen among the wild 



