62 THE KEA. 



They seem to be exceptionally lively around the Ball Hutt 

 Mt. Cook, in the early morning, for numbers of tourists 

 complain of their noise. 



Mr. Fitzgerald, in his book "Climbing in the New 

 Zealand Alps," describes them thus: — "The Kea parrots 

 disturbed our sleep that night by walking up the iron roof, 

 and (to judge from the sounds) tobogganing down and falling 

 off the edge, with shrieks of terror and rage." 



Several people have actually seen them tobogganing 

 down the corrugated iron roofs, — sliding down on feet and 

 tail, following one another in line, falling off when they 

 reach the edge of the roof, and then flying away with 

 shrieks of delight. 



Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf gives the following instances of 

 their quaint ways: — "The Kea occurs in large numbers, up 

 to forty-five being seated on the roof of the Ball Hut at one 

 time, and I myself saw them every morning that I stayed 

 there. 



"There is one that always comes round when any visitors 

 arrive. The hut is built on a little stone platform, and, 

 when boots are put there to dry, the Kea always pulls them 

 off and throws them over the platform, rolling them with his 

 head from behind, if they are too heavy to pull with his 

 beak. He will even go into the hut and pull boots out from 

 there. He has also been seen to roll stones down a hill, 

 apparently with the object of watching their fall. 



"All the Keas about the hut exhibit great curiosity, and 

 when an alarm clock went off in the building they gathered 

 round shrieking at the top of their voices. When a rag was 

 thrown to them, about six of them would swarm on to it 

 and pull it to pieces ; but they still more delight in pulling 

 out the packing of a saddle or any other object which 

 presents sufficient resistance. 



"They even settled on the backs of the horses that are 

 taken to the Ball Hut, four or five getting on the back of 

 one horse, clawing and scratching there until the horse kicks 

 up and drives them away." 



They are not so tame now as they were in the early days 



