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THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



The Sea Hawk. — Hakoakoa. 

 Megalestris antarctica. 

 Brown, finely sti'eaked with pale yellow on the back of the neck. 

 Basal half of the quills and their shafts white. Eye brown. The pale 

 yellow streaks on the back of the neck are absent in the young birds. 

 Length of the wing, 17 in.; of the tarsus, 2.8 in. Egg — Olive brown, 

 with large purplish grey and brown spots. Length 3 in. The southern 

 islands of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. 



(Cat. Brit. Mils.) 



Sea Hawk. 



M. antarctica is found all through the Southern Ocean, and in 

 South America. Here M. chilcnsis connects it with M. 

 catarrhactes of the Northern Hemisphere; so that there can be 

 very little doubt as to M. antarctica having spread from South 

 America. 



Although this bird is often seen at sea, out of sight of land, it 

 rarely settles on the water, and, when it does so, it holds up its 

 wings perpendicularly, as if it was afraid of wetting them. It 

 does not skim over the water as the petrels do, but flies low, 

 with a lieav}^ slow flapping of its roundish wing's, and is, there- 

 fore, easily recognised. Its natural food is young and sick birds, 

 which it kills without remorse, although it is no fighter, but a 

 great coward. 



