AND OTHER BIRDS 33 



species leave empty nests to chance. I was 

 amazed, too, at the toleration displayed by the 

 birds towai'ds other members of the breed, 

 haunting tlieir neighbourhood. 



One of the iDleasures of an acqiuiintance with 

 birds is certainly the complete originality in the 

 lial)its and character of every species. 



The Sea Hawk devours immature Parara, 

 Titi Wainui, and full-grown Kuaka, and 

 maybe the supply is felt to be so great 

 that there is no more occasion for strife 

 over meat, than amongst dogs for strife over 

 water. The ocean tracts, furthermore, may be 

 considered too vast to parcel into lots. There is 

 room for all — enough and to spare. I suspect, 

 moreover, that Skuas sometimes combine in 

 chase, and may have — nay, must have — enough 

 of virtue to share in some degree the common 

 bag, and for these reasons the bird may have 

 learned toleration of his fellows. 



Harriers, congregated in twos and threes, I 



have often watched hunting Pukeko during the 

 winter months ; and the advantages of the game 

 were so obvious that I suppose only the know- 

 ledge of each Harrier that all other Harriers 

 are utterly rogues, selfish and untrustworthy, 

 has kept the chance of an hour from developing, 

 as in the case of the more moral Sea Hawk, into 

 custom. 



This, our first day on Piko-mamaku-iti, was 

 one of incessant rain, and made the examination 

 of Petrel nests really a dex)lorable business. 

 Most of the larger holes had evidently not been 

 touched for months. Their mouths were 

 blocked with heaped leaves and debris of dead 



