HAUNTS AND HABITS. 43 



" Besides grubs, they feed on the berries of various alpine 

 shrubs and trees, such as the snow-berry, daultJnria, 

 CoprosiiKi, Panax f NothapamixJ, the little black seed in a 



white skin of P/iyllocJadns alpintis, and Piftos]>oriiv>, with 



its hard seed in a glutinous mass, like bird-lime, and the red 

 berry of the PiuhicarpitA ('XivalisJ, also on roots of various 

 herbaceous plants — Aciphijlla sipian-osa and A. Cohmsoi, 

 Raniinciih(S Lyallii, celinhiias, etc." 



Professor W. B. Benham, when in the Southern Alps, saw 

 some Keas eating the orange berries of the low-growing heath, 

 Leucopugon Fruseri. He says : — "Two birds were feeding on 

 these berries within two yards of where I was sitting ; they 

 ate the juicy part of the berry, putting out the skin and 

 usually the ' seed ' also, which I found afterwards on the 

 ground, though now and then I heard the bird crack the seed ; 

 so that occasionally at any rate it swallows this." 



A correspondent, writing on this subject, says : — " I have 

 watched the Kea pecking grubs out of a dead tree, and have 

 frequently noticed them picking into the earth for the roots 

 with their beaks." 



Another says : — "I have shot very few [Keas] that have not 

 had mutton in their crops, and next to that are grubs and the 

 roots of aniseed. In summer and autunm they go for berries, 

 such as snow-berries, etc., and also the honey out of the flax 

 seed f Phorminm teitarj.'" 



Miss Eva C. Izard, of Chrislchurch, has placed me under 

 obligation by putting her Keas through a special course of 

 food in order to ascertain their particular tastes ; and, in 

 addition to this, so tame was one of them that it was given 

 at certain times the run of the orchard and grounds and so could 

 help itself to the many native plants found there. In this way, 

 observing the birds under circumstances as natural as possible. 

 Miss Izard was able to supply me with much useful information 

 regarding their natural foods. I cannot do better than 

 quote her letter : — " I have been putting the Kea through a 

 course of native berries as far as practicable. He likes 

 Coprosma best, but he never eats the seed, only the outside. 

 Konini f Fudisla e.rortkafa j will suit him, but he only eats it out 



