102 



THE ANIMALS OP NEW ZEALAND 



many whiteheads on the sanctuary afterwards, but I never saw 

 one passing" the time in idleness. I never knew one to be silent 

 for more than a few seconds, and I never saw any signs of fear 

 amongst them at the presence of a human being. The rather 

 oppressive silence of the dark and gloomy forests was broken 

 more frequently by whiteheads than by any other birds. Some- 

 times one of them would raise its voice out of the usual twitter, 

 and would give expression to a fairly loud and very pleasing 



Nest of Whitehead. 



trill. This was done generally when two were together, although, 

 as far as I could observe, the trill was given by only one of the 

 pair. The whitehead is one of the native birds whose doom has 

 been announced, but it is satisfactory to leam that it is plentiful 

 on both the Little Barrier and Kapiti sanctuaries, and, according 

 to recent information, in many places on the mainland of the 

 North Island. It affords one of the pleasantest scenes of tlie 

 forest. "When all other birds are absent or silent, it comes along 

 and enlivens the forest with its busy twitter and its extra- 

 ordinarily quick movements. It is not a pretty bird. Its 

 prevailing colour is white, often a dirty white, tinged with 

 brown, but it has a neat and tidy appearance, and its charming 

 disposition makes it one of the greatest favourites of the forest.* 



*By J. Drimimoncl, in an article on " Kapiti Island," Lijttelton Times, March 2181, 1908. 



