THE HUIA 91 



supposition that the unfortunate possessor of the bill was helped 

 throughout a long life by a Ivind and attentive mate. 



Huias live together in the forests, subsist partly on insects, and 

 partly on small fruits, and are seldom found far from the 

 Euahine, Tararua, and Rimutaka Ranges, in the North Island. 

 Being very bad fliers, they rarely attempt to fly. Their black 

 plumage, with its greenish gloss, is in striking contrast to the 

 orange wattles, ivory bills, and white-tipped tail feathers. They 

 have been referred to the hoopoes, solitary, songless birds that live 

 for preference in low and humid places, and pass nearly all their 

 existence on the ground, and also to the crows. It is now 

 generally recognised, however, that the huias are most intimately 

 related to the starlings. 



They build their nests in hollow trees, and line them with grass 

 and twigs and similar substances. An observer who resided near 

 Woodville has given an interesting account of a family of four 

 young huias, which were so nearly of the adult size as to be 

 scarcely distinguishable from the parent birds, which, when 

 observed, were busily engaged in feeding them. Their activity 

 was remarkable, and the speed with which they traversed the 

 wood, hopping, or rather, bountling, with a slight opening motion 

 of the wings, flying very short distances, was speedily noticeable. 

 Owing to the moist nature of the locality, the huge trees were 

 clothed in mosses and parasitic ferns. The huias constantly 

 ripped into strips these mosses and also small climbing ferns, 

 fragments of which were seen dropping down from the branches 

 where these beautiful birds were zealously working for their 

 young. 



Genus Creadion. 



Bill nearl.y straight, longer than the head ; the nostrils covered 

 with feathers; the mouth carunculated. The wings short and 

 rounded, the tip formed by the fourth to the sixth feathers. 

 Tarsi scutellated, not quite as long as the middle toe. New 

 Zealand only. 



