CHAPTER III. 



HAUNTS AND HABITS. 



Mountain lilies ehine 



Far up ayainst the suow, 

 And ratas twine 



On tlie wooded slopes Ijelovv. 

 Rata and clematis 



Sweet as bush may hold ; 

 While honey-loving wild birds kiss 



The kowhai's cup of gold. 



Mary Colborne-Veel. 



It is a well established fact that the Kea is found in the 

 mountainous regions of the South Island of New Zealand ; 

 but whether it lives among the snow-capped peaks and 

 glaciers, or lower down near the forest line, is a question 

 that has not so far been satisfactorily answered. 



So much romance has surrounded the bird since its 

 discovery that it is difficult to get people to come down to 

 the sober facts of the case. So popular has it become to 

 describe the Kea as the solitary denizen of the lonely snow- 

 bound alpine peaks, that even some of our present-day 

 scientists, without taking the trouble to ascertain its real 

 habits, prolong the popular erroneous belief that the Kea 

 dwells only amid ice and snow. 



A recent book states that it lives "up in the mighty 

 mountains where the snow never melts and men seldom go : 

 sometimes it is driven from its stronghold and is compelled 

 to seek food at lower elevations." 



Another writer describes the bird as living "far above 

 the dwarf vegetation .... in a region often shrouded 

 with mists and driving sleet." 



The Kea may often be seen soaring among the silent 

 snow-capped heights ; yet it by no means spends most of its 

 me there, but is more frequently found at lower levels. 



