230 M'Lean, Bush-Birds of New Zealand. 



Emu 



il April 



between itself and the sound a mass of leaves through which to 

 spy. A party of five, which I saw on the first day that I visited 

 this bush, remained directly over the track, not more than 20 feet 

 from the ground, while the stumbling pack-team, with its two 

 attendant riders, passed below ; and as we rode along behind they 

 peered through the leaves and branches at us, while evincing not 

 the slightest inclination to depart. Sometimes the movements 

 of the Crow cause some rustling of the leaves ; but, speaking 

 generally, it is not a noisy bird, and its notes are rarely heard 

 when feeding ; so that, unless one keeps a good look-out, it may 

 be easily passed by. However, they are not in the habit of 

 shifting about much, and each party or pair remains for days 

 about the one locality, so that, when once discovered, I soon came 

 to know pretty well where to expect them when next I came 

 that way. 



One of my tracks led down through the tawhera country to the 

 point of a low spur overlooking the Mangamaia, thence across the 

 creek and up the face of mixed bush opposite to the ridge above. 

 About two chains up from the creek it passed through a patch 

 of white-wood and fuchsia trees, where, at times, I spent a few 

 minutes watching a party of seven Crows, which, by 10 o'clock, 

 was always near on the days when I passed through in the first 

 three weeks of May. On odd days — chiefly after rain — their rich 

 notes would be heard from this point, far ahead, as I came along 

 the track, but usually they had passed across to the patch before. 

 Once, being somewhat earlier than usual, I found them working 

 along, with short flights and great bounds, through the tops of 

 the manuka trees on the spur, one or two breaking into music 

 at intervals. They were making a direct march, and at length 

 launched themselves across in straggling order to their feeding- 

 ground below. Here they remained quietly working through the 

 trees and shrubs until late in the afternoon. Their notes^-different 

 now from the morning song — would be heard in the manuka 

 and tawhera face again, to which they had retraced their steps, 

 and where, I fancy, they spent the night. Mixed with the under- 

 growth of this particular patch, to which they daily resorted, 

 grew a number of the large-leaved karumu (Coprosma grandiflora), 

 a straggling lo-foot tree, upon whose translucent orange berries 

 the Crows fed eagerly ; but they varied their diet with insects, 

 and with leaves and fruit from the surrounding trees. On first 

 viewing them they would probably be found in the karumu 

 bushes, busy at the fruit ; one or tv/o on the ground turning over 

 the leaves with their bills as if looking for fallen berries or for 

 insects ; but my approach would send them higher up into the 

 white-wood or other trees, and, after peering at me for a few 

 moments, they would settle down to investigate the bark and 

 foliage. I was much struck with the careful manner in which 

 the Crows take their food. They seemed to toy with it. There 

 was no picking and pecking at the berries, which they deliberately 

 drew from the branches ; no tearing of moss and bark for insects ; 



