AT PLAY. 67 



enjoying the fun. Clothes hung out to dry at the shepherds' 

 huts or camp often get torn up, coloured clothes more than 

 white. I, along with two or three other men at a musterer's 

 camp, saw a Kea take a piece the size of its beak out of a 

 turkish towel, with one peck, almost as clean as it could 

 have been done with a pair of scissors. The towel was 

 almost a new one, so that you will have an idea of the 

 strength of the beak." 



A botanist was one day working among the ranges, and 

 for convenience' sake left a bundle of precious specimens on 

 a rock. A Kea that must have had a decided taste for 

 botany began to investigate ; and when the man returned he 

 found that the whole of his rare collection had been tumbled 

 down the precipice, far beyond recovery. 



Not only do they play most outrageous pranks, but they 

 often display a good deal of method in their madness. 



One of my correspondents gave me the following 

 instance: — "To show you how tame and inquisitive a Kea is; 

 I was one day resting on a hill when one perched on my 

 shoulder. I caught him and put him in a box an inch thick, 

 but he cut it through by the morning and got out. I then 

 chained him with a dog's chain, with a leather strap round 

 his leg. The Kea would run the iron chain through his 

 beak until he got to the leather, and then with a stroke or 

 two of his beak he cut it right through." 



Mr. Kinsey of Christchurch, narrates the following 

 curious incident concerning the Keas at Mt. Cook 

 Hermitage : — 



Wishing to take some live Keas to town, he had several 

 placed in a wooden box ; and, in order to secure them, he 

 placed several fairly large stones on the top of the cage. 

 His daughter some time afterwards found that the stones had 

 been removed, so, after putting them on again, she went and 

 told her father. He, however, knew nothing about their 

 removal ; but by keeping watch he was able to discover the 

 culprits. 



Through his field glasses, he saw several birds alight on 



