98 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



herself down in the keeping of her par- 

 ticular friend, tucking up her long legs, 

 closing her immense feet, and lying folded 

 up like a pocket foot rule. They will come 

 to call, and even if not hailed will follow 

 their friends for notice and recognition, 

 and no doubt all these birds would have 

 been even tamer had it not been necessary 

 to scare them from the house, the verandah 

 and the garden. 



This long screed concerning the Pukeko 

 may end with a few rough notes of his 

 feathering. Budget, with the other four, 

 was a day or two old when taken from 

 the nest on January 10th; he was then like 

 all youthful Pukekos, covered with silver- 

 tipped blue do\^Ti, thickest in certain tracts, 

 especially round the head and down the 

 spine. On February 21st incipient quills 

 were first noticed, and the faintest shades 

 of blue. During March he acquired the 

 grey belly patch, his snowy under tail 

 coverts showed, his tail feathers were two 

 inches long, his frontal shield and legs 

 were, however, still only tinged with red. 



