Andersen. — New Zealand Bird-song. 387 



Art. LI. — Ne.w Zealand Bird-song : Further Notes. 



By Johannes C. Andersen. 



[Bead before the Philosophic il Institute of C mterbury, 4th December, 1912.] 



The figures accompanying this article contain the new notes observed since 

 publication of the paper in the Transactions of 1910 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 

 vol. 43, p. 656). For convenience of reference the variations in the notes of 

 each species of bird have been numbered consecutively from (1) onwards, 

 the earlier numbers appearing in the Transactions of 1908 and 1910 : 

 reference is at times made to these earlier numbered variations. When 

 notes were heard on one day only, the date on which they were heard 

 follows the number. 



The Tui. 



The notes of (25) have the sound of the tinkling of a distant sheep-bell. 

 They varied from four to six in number, and also varied slightly in pitch 

 on different days. They were uttered a good deal faster than the bell notes 

 of (1), their time being about five to the second. The notes of (26), similar 

 in quality to (25), were not always followed by the drop to c, and were still 

 more seldom followed by the expletive clit ; this latter was, indeed, only 

 heard with these notes on the 31st December, 1911. On this day, too, two 

 clear anvil notes preceded, and the guttural aurr followed (27). The sheep- 

 bells took the place of the previous year's vesper bells. In (29) the last 

 two notes {d) had a reedy quality, broader and more blatant than the note 

 of a clarionet, yet musical. In (28) the sheep-bells were preceded by a cry 

 like that of a goose, plaintive and melodious ; the drop on d was staccato, 

 and the cry would sometimes take kraiv krurr after it in place of the sheep- 

 bell. The cry when uttered only once was more drawn out and melodious 

 than when uttered several times, as in (30). Here the notes were con- 

 nected, but not slurred. Other than the goose cry, I could think of no 

 similar sound excepting the hypothetical sound of a bell through a kazoo, 

 suddenly muted as it struck the e. It might approximately be vocalized 

 vii-ii vii-it. This was the sound-effect it first had upon me ; later it did 

 not seem to be followed by the drop to e, but by ganrr only. It might be 

 likened to the cry of a goose with a cold ; less musical than (28). Later in 

 the day it was more distinctly e only (31), and the sound was like that of a 

 vibrating membrane having a resonant chamber to give it body ; or like 

 the vibrating of a reed to which adhered a loose thin strip of metal, adding a 

 rattle to the reed. These five notes were sounded in about 2 seconds. They 

 varied in number from one to seven, never more than seven, and usually four 

 or five.* A long-drawn, high, sweet, very soft note, two octaves higher, some- 

 times preceded the reedy cry, which, too, was sometimes succeeded by aurr, 

 making the full theme of (32). When the bird made this reedy cry it stretched 

 out its neck, opened its beak very wide, and beat downwards with its head at 

 each note, as though its head were a hammer, and that action produced the 

 note on the air anvil. The high soft note was one of the " bubbling " song. 

 There was a catch at the end of each reedy note on the day (32) was taken 

 down, vocalized by ke-oo ke-oo — with a swell on the e, whose sound was 



* On the 29th December, 1912, and on the 2nd January, 1913. tho notes had the 

 sound of a deep clarionet, very resonant, vocalized eoo eoo eoo. 



13' 



