Marriker. — On the Natural Histori/ of the Kea. 275 



2. For the Kea. 



(a.) The lack of recorded eye-witnesses. 



(b.) In many places where keas were known to live, no 

 sheep had been killed after the kea's method. 



(c.) Many keas in captivity would not eat meat, &c. 



(d.) Many of the men who accused the bird were paid for 

 exterminating them, and they would naturally wish 

 the story to be believed. 



It was suggested to the writer by Dr. Cockayne that in 

 order to get some evidence that might be depended on all the 

 men who had seen the kea attack sheep should be requested 

 to send in an unexaggerated account of what they had seen. 

 and when this eye-witness evidence had been sifted and ar- 

 ranged some real facts about this interestiiig bird might be 

 obtained and published. 



In response to several requests, kindly published for me 

 by the newspapers, I have received a large amount of evidence 

 from men who live, or have lived, in kea country — namely, 

 musterers, shepherds, head shepherds, managers of stations, 

 runholders, and station-owners. These, it is true, are not 

 trained scientific observers, nevertheless they all live in con- 

 tact with fact, and it seems to me that we are sure to get nearer 

 to the truth by taking the experiences of men who have spent 

 most of their lives in kea country than those of men who judge 

 the birds mostly from caged or preserved specimens. 



To make the e\'idence as reliable as possible, the follow- 

 ing precautions have been taken : (1.) Nothing but accounts 

 from the eye-witnesses themselves have been taken. (2.) Evi- 

 dence without the writer's name and address has been cast 

 out. (3.) All details, as year, station, &c., have been received 

 in each case, when possible. (4.) The witnesses, if necessary, 

 have been cross-examined by post. (5.) All accounts of keas 

 attacking sheep have been forwarded with a written statement 

 that, if necessary, the writer will be wilUng to swear to his evi- 

 dence before a Justice of the Peace. (6.) The accounts that 

 have been received will be filed and presented to the library 

 of this Institute, for further reference. In spite of all these 

 precautions, I am aware that inaccuracies may creep in; but 

 I think that when fifty or sixty eye-witnesses agree in the main 

 facts of the case we may take it for granted that we are some- 

 where near the truth. 



To some people this question will never be satisfactorily 

 proved until some man of scientific standing has actually seen 

 the kea killing the sheep. In order to satisfy these doubters, 

 I should suggest that some sheep should be fenced in on some 



