O&l 



Mr. W. R. Offilvie-Graut on Birds 



understanding that I had taken their young, followed me 

 down to the boat screaming their loudest for assistance. 

 This attracted all the Kakas within hearing, and they made 

 a great demonstration of sympathy. They often do the 

 same in response to the call of a wounded one, and the shooter 

 may then kill a large number without difficulty. 



" They make splendid pets, but are very difficult to feed 

 when young — when a fruit-stone the size of a pea will kill 

 them. They have a greater variety of notes and calls than 

 any other bird met with in this locality. 



" When an old Kaka is eating a ripe Miro-berry he rejects 

 the skin and only licks out the little bit of fruit between it 

 and the stone. I think that they also break the stones for 

 sake of the little oily kernels, but I am not quite sure of 

 this *. All the stones are broken, and the Kakas have a 

 substance like the kernels in their crops. The stones are 

 terribly hard to break, but the rats can break them. Kakas 

 also cast up the skins of the big wood-grubs, which look 

 like dry bits of tissue-paper. 



" After my pets were able to fly one of them was killed by 

 a I lawk. I heard the scream of distress and went to see 

 what was the matter. Several old Kakas also came to the 

 rescue, and one of them followed the Hawk about through 

 the trees, while others tried to intercept him, but they were 

 not nearly smart enough. 



" Many New Zealand trees and shrubs are very erratic 

 seed-producers. In some seasons all berries are scarce, 

 while in others some are plentiful and. some are absent; yet 

 the Kakas and Kakapos seem to know beforehand when 

 there will be plenty to feed their young ones and to hatch 

 them at the right time. 



■ '' It often happens that the female has a much lighter- 

 coloured head than the male, but no two of them are exactly 

 the same." 



* " I have just found out that the Kakas do break the Miro-stones — 

 when they are green, at all events. They are broken fairly in two, 

 crosswise." 



