166 Traiisactionn. 



years ago. The saddlebacks were first observed following flights of yellow- 

 heads, or native canaries {Clitonyx ocrocephala) — the South Island congener 

 of the whitehead — when feeding through the forest. 



The younger generation of Maoris having never seen flights of popo- 

 kateas and tataekos followed by saddlebacks passing in succession through 

 the forests, I have since Mr. Percy Smith informed me endeavoured to 

 elicit from the older Maoris any information respecting their comparative 

 numbers, whether of more frequent occurrence in certain seasons, and the 

 class or nature of the forest where the associated troops of birds were gene- 

 rally met with. 



The New Zealand forests vary much in the association of species of 

 plants according to the chemical constitution of the soils, situations, and 

 altitudes on which they occur. 



My chief object, therefore, in endeavouring to obtain information from 

 the older Maoris has been to ascertain, if possible, whether particular areas 

 of forest were more frequented by the popokateas and saddlebacks (tieke 

 of the Maori), and, if so, to endeavour also to ascertain the cause. The 

 prehistoric Maori was an accurate observer of natural causes, particularly 

 those affecting his own food-supplies. Replying to my inquiries. Tutu 

 Hihi, a Native of Parihaka, informed me that he had heard his old father 

 speak of the difficulty of procuring kakas, tuis, and kukus (pigeons) in some 

 seasons eighty to ninety years ago, owing to the partial or total failure of 

 their natural foods extending over large areas of forest, and that in such 

 seasons they- — the people of his tribe — had to make long excursions to 

 certain more fruitful areas of forest to procure these birds for preserving 

 for winter use. Excepting in the Urewera country, where the old Native 

 methods of bird snaring and trapping are still practised, the old experienced 

 Native bird snarers and trappers of other tribes now living near or within 

 the areas of European or pakeha settlements have all passed away, which, 

 indeed, makes it almost impossible to obtain reliable information on the 

 habits of a species of bird that has become so rapidly extinct since their 

 time and day. 



Whilst engaged compiling these notes I wrote to Mr. Percy Smith, in- 

 quiring if there were any localities or particular class of forest where the 

 associated birds frequented more than others in the North Island. Having 

 had exceptional opportunities of observing the native birds in the bush in 

 almost every part of the North Island for nearly sixty years, Mr. Smith's 

 reply, here given, shoiild prove of much interest and value : " In the early 

 days here in Taranaki^ — that is, from fifty to sixty years ago — when I was 

 constantly in the untouched forests then lying behind New Plymouth, 

 often for months at a time, the bird-life was a very prominent feature, and 

 the popokatea one of the commonest birds of all. They used to frequent 

 all the patches of forest in the gullies about the town, also of which at that 

 time there were many. The birds were never seen singly, but always in 

 flocks of aliout thirty to forty, hopping about from branch to branch, with 

 their little musical twitter. They were invariably accompanied by a pair 

 of saddlebacks, or tieki (or tiaki), who seemed to act as guardians of the 

 flock, giving the alarm, when any one approached, with their sharp notes. 

 The word ticiH in Maori means "a guardian," and this, no doubt, was the 

 origin of the name. I spent several years at Kaipara. north of Auckland, 

 in 1859-64, and in the forests there the popokatea was noticed quite as 

 numerous as in Taranaki, always with the accompanying tieki. The last 

 I saw of the popokatea was two years ago, when a flock of about half a 



