THE TUI 



109 



Sometimes the tui assumes an antagonistic attitude towards 

 other birds, and it has been seen chasing the kingfisher, the 

 bell-bird, and other enemies from the trees in which its young 

 have been placed. 



The nest, which is large, is constructed of slender sprays 

 intermixed with moss, and with the down of the tree-fern, and 

 lined with the tine bents of the poa grass. The following 

 dimensions of a nest have been supplied ; across the top, from the 

 outside of one wall to the outside of the other, 9 inches ; diameter 



Nest of Tui. 



of cavity, 3 inches, 6 lines ; depth, 2 inches. There are generally 

 four eggs. The nest containing the young is sometimes stained 

 a deep purple, from the juice of the konini berries. It is stated 

 that, on one occasion, some young birds which were unable to 

 tly, became alarmed and fluttered out of the nest to the ground, 

 about twelve feet below. The next day they were found safely 

 ensconsed in the nest, looking quite happy. They must have been 

 replaced by the parent birds. 



Tui-pie was a favourite dish with the early settlers. The birds 

 are often kept in confinement, and at one time many of them 

 were sent to Australia and other countries. The Maoris had no 

 fewer than seven methods of catching tuis. which were sometimes 

 treated as pets. With one method, birds were induced by 



