58 THE KEA. 



coming out of their quills. The legs are large, dark grey in 

 colour, with black claws, very weak in muscular action, and 

 at present useless. The body and head are still to a large 

 extent covered with long light grey down, which, however, is 

 fast disappearing. 



The larger bird was able, after a few days, to swallow 

 food by itself, but the smaller one still required the food to 

 be poked down its throat. 



The suggestion has been made that, owing to the 

 continued change of diet in the Kea, the taste for meat 

 has become hereditary, and in proof of this it is stated that 

 young Keas only a few days old have been known to eat 

 meat. 



As far as I can ascertain there is at present no proof in 

 support of the suggestion ; for, though young Keas can be 

 nourished for some time on meat, this in itself does not prove 

 that the taste for it is natural. 



Other cases are known where birds have taken readily to 

 a new diet and yet heredity could have had no influence in 

 the matter. 



Through the kindness of Dr. Cockayne and Mr. E. Jennings 

 I am able to publish the following incident : — 



While they were on a tour of the Southern Islands of 

 New Zealand in the Government steamer " Hinemoa," in 

 1904, a specimen of the flightless duck {Xesoiidfit AucMandiai) 

 was captured and brought alive to Dunedin. From the time 

 of its capture it was fed solely on bread and milk, which it 

 seemed to take to readily. Now, this duck is found only 

 on the Auckland Islands, where it feeds on crustaceans, etc., 

 which are found among the rocks and the kelp (Dnrvilha) 

 of the sea shore. 



These islands are uninhabited, and are practically never 

 visited by any ship except the Government steamer 

 " Hinemoa," which pays them a semi-annual visit. 



It can almost be taken for certain that this particular 

 bird had never seen bread, much less tasted it ; and yet 

 when caught, it at once took to this new food, so 

 entirely different from its natural supply. 



