THE KAKAPO 155 



nearest thicket, moving like a fowl, with a speed which, 

 considering the position of its toes and its nnwieldy form, 

 surprised him. 



The crops of those he examined were generally filled with 

 minntely divided moss, in enormous quantities. They were 

 greatly distended, and were sometimes so heavy that a single one 

 weighed several ounces. ' ' The mass of this little nutritious food 

 which the bird must collect, ' ' Sir Julius says, ' ' shows why it lives 

 on the ground, and in barren and unproductive districts where 

 no other species of the same family could exist. Another 

 peculiarity, perhaps likewise resulting from its vegetable diet, is 

 that the bird, instead of having, like others, an oily, soft kind of 

 fat under the skin, possesses a great ciuantity of firm white fat. 

 Its flesh is better and more substantial than that of any other 

 species of parrot, and is of exquisite flavour. 



"I expected to find the kakapo in well-excavated eaves, with 

 entrances which would permit the inhabitants to enter, something 

 like the lair of a fox or a badger. But I found, that, with the 

 exception of a single instance, the habitations consisted of clefts 

 or fissures in rocks, holes between the roots of decayed trees, or 

 natural openings between fragments of rocks, where my large 

 dog entered easil.v, and generally returned head first, carrying 

 the prey in his mouth, showing that he must have been able to 

 turn round within. 



"At first my dog was severely punished by the beak and claws 

 of the kakapo ; but, after a little experience, he learned how to 

 grasp the bird through its head at once. The Maoris told me that 

 the kakapo was a very valiant bird, and often fought successfully 

 with their dogs ; but this is scarcely credible, unless their dogs 

 are a very weak race. My dog, though punished at times, never 

 had a serious battle with one of them. All the habitations of the 

 kakapo that I examined were natural caves or holes, with the 

 exception of one, which was artificially excavated." Sir Julius's 

 observations led him to the conclusion that the birds lived singly, 

 but went about in pairs at night. 



While in New Zealand, Mr. Reischek devoted special investi- 

 gations to the manner in which the kakapos made their tracks, 



