l86 M'Lean, Bush-Birds of New Zealand. [,sf "jan. 



6.10. — He is now in great fettle, and all the birds are having a 

 turn, but not to the same extent as on other finer mornings lately. 

 A Robin, away down the creek, started his fine song at a few minutes 

 to 6, and the Crows' chorus came from the manuka face opposite. 

 As day advances all the birds are singing more or less ; and I 

 hear, besides those mentioned, the song of the Whitehead and 

 the Blight-Bird, mixed with a few notes from the Bell-Birds near. 

 Warblers and a Fantail are twittering too, but I miss the Tit 

 the past two mornings. As the mist comes on the birds are very 

 quiet, and at lo a.m. all I hear is the montonous ' Poeing ' of a 

 Bell-Bird, three times at two-second intervals. The Tuis are not 

 now singing. About 10.30 the Kaka is back in the tree in front 

 digesting his morning meal and whistling now and then to himself 

 a soft ' Tu tu.' A Cuckoo, too (C. litcidits), sounds his long, clear, 

 whistled note five times, and without the final flourished notes, 

 from among those trees. The Tui was singing in the afternoon 

 and eveninf^. but not so much as usual. The Kaka was heard 

 once about 5.30, as he came into his tree near the camp for the 

 evening. Heard the Tui last at 6.30, after a Morepork had 

 started." 8th October. — " Of the five or six Tuis I hear daily 

 about here, one frequents the bush around the camp, and opens 

 early in the morning with his double-noted music, and keeps it 

 up for about two hours. He is quieter during the day, but as 

 evening comes on he starts again, and I hear him now as he shifts 

 in stages to his roost— now in front of the camp, then at one side, 

 now behind, and finally away in the distance. He usually starts 

 his vesper in front about 5.30. and ends behind in the tawa about 

 6.40. The music reads [see No. 10]. The final bar of four 

 quickly-sounded notes may be repeated for five, six, to ten times. 

 I hear him now chuckling to himself ' Quor quor.' and then the 

 two last notes once ; at 6.30 a continuous chuckle to himself, and 

 now and again the ' Tu-la.' Then away to the front he goes, with 

 a ' whurrup ' of wing, and sings there for three or four minutes ; 

 then back again and up into the bush behind, the pretty ringing 

 song gradually fading as he retires. Another starts while the first 

 is very far away, and I hear the last Tui at 6.45 [practically night]." 

 9th October. — " The Tui opened this morning at 4.55 from far 

 away, and came towards the camp. At about five minutes past 5 

 the Owl called his final ' Morepork ' several times in quick suc- 

 cession, and somewhat derisively, as he cleared away." 



From the little tuft of curled white feathers hanging from its 

 throat, and set off by the rich dark plumage, this species was 

 aptly named the " Parson-Bird " — a name that nowadays is hardly 

 ever used. To most country people it is well known simply as the 

 Tui ; and odd birds visit, in winter, the plantations of Australian 

 gums and wattles, often coming many miles from their native 

 bush to suck the honey from the flowers. There the birds, as if 

 soliloquizing, may in fine weather be heard throughout the day. 

 These are generally single birds (or not in pairs), and. of course, 

 are not in the best of song at that season. 



