THE BROWN KIWI 341 



left the nest. On examining the eg'gs, no traces of young birds 

 could be found, but the superintendent says that, notwithstand- 

 ing this failure, there was sufficient to show that the kiwi's mode 

 of reproduction does not differ essentially from that of the allied 

 struthious birds, as in all cases that have come under his notice 

 only the male bird sits. "I have witnessed the breeding of the 

 mooruk, the cassowary, the emu. and the rhea." he says, "and 

 the mode of proceeding of the Apteryx fully justifies me in 

 believing the habits of this bird to be in no way materially 

 different from those of its allies." 



The Rev. J. G. Wood, in his Natural History of Birds, says that 

 the eggs laid at the London Zoological Gardens by Apteryx 

 australis are indeed wonderful, for the bird weighs just a little 

 more than four pounds, and each egg weighs fourteen or fifteen 

 ounces, its length being 4% in., and its width rather more than 

 2 in. An egg of Owen's Apteryx in the Canterbury IMuseum, 

 obtained from the West Coast, measures 4i/^ in. in length, with a 

 breadth of 2 7-12 in. The egg of an Apteryx mantelU has 

 measured over 5 in. in length, and 3 in. in breadth. 



There are four or five species of kiwis. One belongs to the 

 northern portion of the dominion, and the others to the south. 

 All possess the same marked peculiarities, but their habits may 

 be described as observed in the various species. Mr. Potts 's 

 articles in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, which 

 could hardly be improved upon, are the chief source from which 

 information has been drawn. 



The Brown Kiwi. — Kiwi. 



Apteryx mantelU. 



Rufous brown, streaked longitudinally with black. Feathers of the 

 back harsh to the touch, owing to the shafts being prolonged beyond the 

 barbs. Bill slightly curved. Claw on the wing much curved, and black. 

 Eye black. Male — Length of the bill, 3.75 in. to 4.25 in.; of the tarsus, 

 2.5 to 2.75 in. In the female — Bill, 5.2 in to % in. ; of the tarsus, 2.75 in. 

 to 3.5 in. Egg— White; length, 4.75 in. North Island and Little Barrier 

 Island. 



