178 H AKUSLER, \otcs on the Kkcl ["^isfS" 



tried the experiment of tetherinj,' it with a fishing line outside 

 the enclosure, K'iving it an (jld barrel for a house. The bird was 

 €\ idently pleased with the change. It was in fact so quiet and 

 contented that I soon let it go <|uite free in the vegetable garden 

 Here it spent most of its life sleeping under some shady bushes 

 or amongst the P'rench beans. Towards evening it left its hiding 

 place, and could be .seen strolling about as if lost in deep thought 

 or looking for food in likely places. 



When the birds were startled by a sudden noise or in any other 

 way they instantly assumed a i)erfectly motionless position, be- 

 coming in fact as rigid as stuffed specimens, however awkw'ard 

 and difficult the position in which they were at the moment of 

 surprise may have been. In this state, in which they remained 

 for a surprisingly long time, they seemed to be quite dead to most 

 impressions from outside. Neither loud whistling or shout- 

 ing, nor ])ushing or |)()king had any effect upon them. 

 Only when violently shaken or when lifted from the 

 ground did they begin to show life again. After a short 

 time they walked away looking for a dark corner, where, with 

 their heads turned to the corner and their bills touching the 

 ground, they remained standing perfectly still for a very long 

 time. It is in this state that the birds show in the most striking 

 manner their perfect adaption to the nature of their immediate 

 surroundings, for in size and shape of body, colour and texture 

 of plumage, even colour, size and shape of legs they are so per- 

 fectly in harmony with the varied masses of living and dead 

 vegetation, that even in daylight it is not easy to distinguish their 

 outlines. Towards dusk they become altogether invisible. 



The same remarks ai)]tly to some extent also to the position in 

 which the birds go to rest. When they have selected a suitable 

 dark and well-hidden place they settled down after the manner 

 of a broody hen going liack to her eggs. Maving settled comfort- 

 ably, they stretched out their necks, turned their heads round, 

 and thrust their bills into their feathery coats at a place w^here 

 in a former stage of their evolution their wings used to be. For 

 some reason or other this is evidently a most important matter, 

 for it w\is only after several attempts that they found a position 

 which they considered satisfactory. Having decided on thi^ 

 point the birds went at once to slee]). They now appeared as 

 fluffy, greyish balls, which were almost indistinguishable from 

 parts of their surroundings, .\mongst the moss covered stum]»s 

 of trees, ferns, or boulders, clumps of native grass, etc.. they 

 would have been invisible even to a jiractised eye. 



Kiwis are remarkably sound sleepers. Xo ordinary noise 

 awakens them. When awakened, my birds would cjuietly march 

 off and look for other sleeping cpiarters. v^t range to say. they did 

 not immediately settle down to sleep in the usual way. but took 

 up a position similar to the one already described, standing quite 



