68 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



that it was built carelessly, of dried branches, ferns, and moss, 

 and was about 30 feet from the ground. The bird feeds mostly 

 on l)erries. and on the young leaves of various plants, often 

 holding the food in its claw like a j^arrot. The wings, which are 

 short and small, are seldom used ; l)ut the crow is very active 

 and quick in climbing. In the pairing season, when not disturbed, 

 the male makes various evolutions by drooping and spreading his 

 wings, and erecting his tail, while, with bent down head and 

 outstretched neck, he whistles to the female, who remains still 

 and admires his movements. 



South Island Crow. — Kokako. 



Ghi ticopis ciiicrea. 



Dark bluish grey, with a black band from the nostrils to the eye. 

 Tail blackish at the tip. Wattle orange with a blue base. Length of 

 the wing, 6.25 in.; of the tarsus, 2.7 in. The sexes are alike, but the 

 young are browner in colour, and have smaller wattles. Eye dark 

 brown. Egg — Dark purplish grey, spotted with brown, principally at 

 the larger end; length, 1.0 in. South Island. 



The South Island crow, besides fre([uenting the bush, haunts 

 open places and light scrub. It has been found on the sea shore, 

 and three thousand feet above sea level. It used to be very 

 plentiful in the mountain ranges, and shepherds state that, in 

 severe Aveather, it comes down to the lowlands. Sometimes the 

 birds may be seen roaming about in pairs with their brood, 

 generally three in number. They are very tame, but, like the 

 North Islanders, they are adepts at the art of hiding when 

 disturbed. It is only when they are in extremities that they 

 attempt to fly. The male and female are inseparable. The 

 male sounds a very sweet whistle, consisting of six notes, such as 

 ■"te, to, ta, tu, tu, tu, " and the call of the female is composed of 

 live, such as "te, a, tu, tu, tu." 



Mr. Reischek relates that, at Milford Sound in 1884. he shot a 

 crow, and hid himself until its mate appeared. Then he showed 

 himself, and, to his astonishment, the second bird, instead of 

 flying away when it saw the human intruder, went to its com- 

 panion, hopping round and calling, evidently in a great state 

 of agitation. He sympathised so nnich witli the bird in its 



