170 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



In the Maori fal)le of the Battle of the Birds, in which the 

 sea-birds fonght the hind birds for their territory, the morepork, 

 it is set forth, conld not take part, as the battle was fought in the 

 daytime, when owls cannot see. But. at the close of the day, 

 when the sea-birds had been driven off and defeated, the owl was 

 awarded the honourable position of herald, and added to the fears 

 of the enemy by joining in the pursuit with its insulting discord- 

 ant note of ironical derision: — "Toa koe ! toa koe!" ("Thou 

 are brave ! thou art victor ! ") 



When lleke and Kawiti were making an attack on the 

 Europeans in the Bay of Islands, the native parties, in taking up 

 their positions before daybreak, communicated their movements 

 to one another by imitating the cry of the morepork, which the 

 sentries were accustomed to hear, and of whicli they therefore 

 took no notice. 



In one of his long journeys through the Wairarapa district, 

 Mr. Colenso was benighted, and pitched his tent under a tree at 

 the edge of a thicket. His companions soon fell asleep, but he 

 remained sitting up, reading and enjoying the stillness of the 

 night. Presently he heard a strange noise, or, rather, a succession 

 of peculiar and unusual noises, such as he had never heard before. 

 They were repeated in different keys and in semi-discordant 

 tones, mingled with shrill hissing, and seemed to come from some 

 creatures over his head. After this had been going on for some 

 time, he unlaced the door of his tent, and went out. He saw two 

 owls on a bare extended horizontal branch of the tree, only a 

 few feet above him. They were a pair, apparently carrying on 

 their courtship in the most grotesque manner imaginable. With 

 a movement that appeared to be half sedate and half humorous, 

 the male advanced from his end of the branch, witli his head- 

 feathers trimmed and set up cap-a-pie, and his wings hanging 

 down, making a jarring noise, as if he were a turkey-cock, and, 

 at the same time, uttering many strange sounds, high and low, 

 short and long. With stately and measured steps, the female 

 retreated to the furthest end of the branch, turned round, 

 bridled herself up, and hissed in a scornful manner. When the 

 male retired, the female would come forward very slowly, and 



