70 THE KEA. 



"At about half past four next morning our ornithological 

 alarm went off, and I got up and hurried up the mountain 

 side. When half way up to the traps, I heard a wild 

 screaming behind me, and looking round saw him sailing 

 over me from across the gully. Almost immediately two 

 others further up answered, and all three presently arrived at 

 the traps. They were a pair and an old male bird, and I 

 sat quietly among the tussocks a few yards away, waiting 

 for them to rush joyfully into the traps after the meat. 

 But not a bit of it ; after thoroughly inspecting ' Angela ' 

 and her cage, and bestowing a casual glance at the traps, 

 they came over and subjected me to a searching scrutiny. 



" Finding that I was an object of interest to them, I 

 moved nearer to the traps and tried in vain to call their 

 attention to the dainty viands displayed therein. It was no 

 use. If I sat quite still they went over and had a chat 

 with 'Angela,' sitting on the roof of her cage the while; 

 if I moved they hopped blithely round me and my ways. 

 The place they did not hop on was the space covered by the 

 traps. 



"As they came quite fearlessly to within a few feet of 

 me, I decided to try and snare them, so I went into a little 

 clump of bush near by and got a rod and a piece of fine 

 creeper for a noose. The Keas accompanied me, hopping 

 round in the trees above my head while I cut the stock and 

 prepared my snare. Having got everything ready, I returned 

 to the promontory, and squatted quietly down under a big 

 boulder. 



"Almost instantly a head appeared over the edge above 

 me, and the owner of it gave a quiet little call. Another 

 head appeared, and another, and then, within three feet of 

 me, the birds sat and watched me with a whole world of 

 curiosity in their bright little eyes. Gently I raised the 

 snare and brought it towards the middle one. He took no 

 notice until it was almost over his head and then he quietly 

 took it on his beak and began chewing it. 



"Realising that I could not snare them, I went half-way 

 down the hill and called to H. to bring up a coil of wire-netting 



