656 Trnnmctinufi. 



Art. LVI. — ISlexo Zealand Bird-song. 

 By Johannes C. Andersen. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterhunj, 2nd November, 1910.] 



The following additional notes and variations have been observed since 

 publication of the 1908 Transactions. 



On the 12th November, 1909, in company with Mr. T. D. Burnett, of 

 the Mount Cook Eun Station, I climbed Mount Burnett, 6,23i ft. in height. 

 On the western slope of the peak, at a height of over 5,500 ft., we found a 

 quantity of moa gizzard-stones. They were quartz, and lay in an earth- 

 filled pocket of rock, near an amphitheatre or half-basin, a formation 

 commonlv found among the weathered tops of this range, the Liebig, which 

 is composed in great part of clay slates and sandstone. Many large moa- 

 bones have been foimd on the lower pavts of the run, the homestead of 

 which is 1,900 ft. above sea-level. On descending the eastern side we saw 

 one kea just below the snow-line. Keas were formerly very numerous on 

 this run, a tally kept for thirteen years showing an average loss of five 

 hundred sheep a year through their attacks alone : the flock runs from five 

 to six thousand. The consequence is, unrespited war against them has 

 very considerably reduced the numbers of the kea. Mr. Burnett told me 

 that it has a greater variety of calls than any other bird known to him. 

 When worrying a sheep it emits a detestable chuckling sound ; and he has 

 lain through a night in an out-hut hearing this sound, exasperated at being 

 unable to interrupt the feast he knew was going on above him. There 

 was a high wind blowing when Ave saw this solitary kea, but, as the bird 

 stayed close to us for a considerable time (thanks to the forbearance of my 

 host), I was able to take the pitch of his characteristic cry, 



5^« - -■ 



' ifr p^aU^ la: 



Kee-a-a-ah Kee-e aJi 



No. (1) was the most frequent cry. It is most plaintive, as if the bird were 

 the injured party. The cry differs at various times in several ways. Some- 

 times the slur is from a short note to a longer one, dropped a semitone, 

 as (1) ; sometimes it is from a long note to a short one, without the semi- 

 tone drop, as in (la). This latter cry I heard several times over the moraine 

 of the Tasman Glacier ; and whereas (1) is plaintive, (la) is more sinister. 

 Again, the interval was often much less : it constantly varied, and was 

 sometimes so slight that it sounded very like the mewing of a lost kitten. 

 On the 18th November, 1910, we camped for a night at the terminal face 

 of the Murchison Glacier^ on the slopes of the Malte Bruu Range, and 

 before daylight on the 19th we heard several keas in the heights above. 

 A most characteristic cry was as follows : — 



pva. gy-fx.. 



Keeeeeeah. ' iKeeeeeeah 



The first note of (2) was long drawn out on the /, and slurred vigorously 

 down through an octave. No. (2a) was most curious : the long d was 



