92 MUTTON BIRDS 



lights were extinguished he could be heard 

 feeling and tapping along its sides, murmuring 

 and grunting. At Half Moon Bay, resident in 

 a great packing case well littered with peat he 

 became very tame, and when visited would look 

 up with his little rat's eyes just like a friendly 

 pig expectant of a trough refilled. Usually the 

 worms, gathered for him, were put in a shallow 

 dish and when callers came to see him — and they 

 were many — his first action was to explore this 

 dish in anticipation of extra rations. He would 

 readily take worms out of his friends' hands or 

 when dangled to him. I noticed that when 

 looking for them on the ground his bill was 

 carried an inch or so above the litter, and used 

 to feel softly and explore the peat, just as a blind 

 man uses his staff slantingly to poke and probe 

 the gi'ound immediately in front of him. At 

 times, too, the bill was carried much in the 

 manner of a pup who has chanced to retrieve 

 his master's stick by its end and holds it aloft 

 with elevated head in order to avoid concussion 

 and jar to his mouth. If, whilst investigating 

 the peat a worm was located, "Dick" Avould bury 

 his bill to the very hilt, in the brown mould, and 

 then, in this attitude, wrench it from side to side 

 as if to obtain a wider range at its nasal 

 extremit}^ 



At any time, if his feathers were suddenly 

 touched, he would leap aside with agility. 

 Eventually I took him, then a fine well-grown 

 lad, back to the forest, selected a spot with many 

 worms, and left the poor little beastie boring 

 delightedly into the cool, moist, clean, and mossy 

 mould. 



The second Kiwi nest provided perhaps the 



