166 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZExVLAND 



Genus Sceloglanx. 



First primary less than the eighth ; third to the fiftli nearly 

 eqnal and longest. Tarsi feathered, twice the length of the middle 

 toe and claw. New Zealand only. 



The Laughing Owl. — Whekau. 

 Sceloglanx alhifacies. 



Brown, spotted with fulvoiis on the breast, and streaked with the same 

 colour on the back. Tail barred with fulvous. Feathers on the legs 

 pale rufous white. Sometimes the greater part of the facial disc is 

 white. Eye dark reddish brown. Length of the wing, 11 inches; of 

 the tarsus, 2.65 to 3 inches. Egg — White; length, 1.95 inch. South 

 Island. 



The langhing owl lives in crevices of the rocks, and formerly 

 w^as not uncommon in the South Island, though it is now very 

 rare. The female is rather smaller than the male. 



The peculiar cry which has given this owl its name, and which 

 is like an uncontrollable outburst of laughter, is heard only when 

 the birds are on the wing, and generally on dark and drizzly 

 nights, or immediately preceding rain. It is stated that the call of 

 the adults, in waking up in the evening, is very similar to the 

 call of two men cooeeing to each other from a distance. The cry 

 of the male is loud and hoarse, and that of the female shriller 

 and less prolonged. 



In former times, the principal food of the laughing owl, it is 

 thought, was the native rat. At present, it seems, these liirds live 

 on rats, mice, and lizards, and the large species of coleoptera 

 common among the debris beneath the rocks where they live. 



It is stated that the species is rapidly becoming extinct, owing 

 to an insufficient suppl.y of proper food, the coleoptera being 

 totally inadecpiate to support this large l)ird. In captivity it soon 

 becomes tame, and superior food produces a marked improve- 

 ment, the bird, in a few weeks, becoming fatter, stronger, and 

 bigger. In both the wild and the captive state, breeding begins 

 in September and October, and the female sits on the eggs for 

 twenty-five daj^s. 



