APPENDIX. 543 



"Nearly all the adult Kalmpos which I skinned were 

 exceedingly fat, having a thick layer of oily fat or blubber on 

 the breast which it was very difficult to separate from the 

 skin. Their stomachs contained a pale green, sometimes 

 almost white, homogeneous mass, without any trace of fibre 

 in it. 



"There can be little doubt but that their food consists 

 partly of roots (their beaks are usually more or less covered 

 with indurated mud), and partly of the leaves and tender 

 shoots of various plants. At one place where the birds were 

 numerous we observed that the young shoots of a leguminous 

 shrub growing by the banks of a river were all nipped off", 

 and this was said by our pilot, who had frequented these 

 places for many years in a whaling vessel, to be the work of 

 the Kahapo. 



"Their flesh is white, and is generally esteemed good 

 eating." 



I have also been kindly favoured with the following notes 

 on this bird by His Excellency Sir George Grey. 



" The 8tri(/ops is called Kaka-po or Night Kaka by the 

 aborigines of New Zealand, from the nocturnal habits of the 

 bird. During the day it remains, hid in holes under the 

 roots of trees or rocks ; or, very rarely, perched on the boughs 

 of trees with a very dense thick foliage : at these times it 

 appears stupid from its profound sleep, and if disturbed or 

 taken from its hole immediately runs and tries to hide itself 

 again, dehghting, if practicable, to cover itself in a heap of 

 soft dry grass ; about sunset it becomes lively, animated, and 

 playful, issues forth from its retreat and feeds on grass, weeds, 

 vegetables, fruits, seeds, and roots : when eating grass it 

 rather grazes than feeds, nibbling the grass in the manner of 

 a rabbit or wombat. It sometimes climbs trees, but generally 

 remains upon the ground, and only uses its short wings for 

 the purpose of aiding its progress when running, balancing 

 itself when on a tree or in making a short descent, half-jump, 



