from New Zealand ami adjacent Islands. 581 



80. Nestor notabilis Gould. 



Nestor notabilis Buller, 13. New Zeal. i. pts. iv.-vi. 

 p. 160, pi. vi. (1888) ; Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mas. xx. 

 p. 4 (1891); Lorenz-Liburnau, Ann. Ilofmus. Wien, xvii. 

 p. 319 (1902). 



a. J adult. New Zealand. 



The Kea Parrot. 



81. Nestor meridionalis (Gmel.). 



Nestor meridionalis Buller, B. New Zeal. i. pts. iv.-vi. 

 p. 150, pi. v. (1888); Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xx. p. 5 

 (1891) ; Lorenz-Liburnau, Ann. Ilofmus. Wien, xvii. p. 316 



(190.2). 



a. jj adult. Milford Sound, South Island, N.Z. ,23rd April, 

 1901. 



The Kaka Parrot has the iris dark brown, the bill dark grey 

 and bluish-black, the feet and legs bluish-grey, and the soles 

 yellow (F. W. Hut ton) . 



Mr. Richard Henry, of Resolution Island, has supplied 

 Lord Ranfurly with the following notes on this species: — 



" I have often found nests of the Kaka Parrot in hollow 

 trees, not far from the ground. There are generally four 

 pure white eggs, but I think the parents seldom rear more 

 than two young ones. Sometimes they have young ones in 

 November and sometimes in April. I do not know which 

 is their favourite breeding-season. 



" Their staple food consists of grubs (which they cut out 

 of partly-decayed timber), varied with berries, and with honey 

 which they lick out of the Rata-blossoms in summer, and 

 kernels of Miro-stones in autumn. 



" They cut grubs out of a withering Panax in such a way 

 that it shows they must have reasoning powers and a distinct 

 knowledge of the relationship between cause and effect. I 

 have often tried to find the grub that was killing the branch, 

 but I usually have to do twice as much cutting as a Kaka 

 would do without finding it. 



" Last April I took two young ones as pets, and when the 

 parents saw me leaving the nest they went to it at once, and, 



