BAD HABITS. 101 



ascertain) been found in such numbers as to attract the birds ; 

 and, though I have often torn the plants to pieces, I have never 

 found any large insect larvae. 



Thirdly, if the Kea feeds on the grubs that are said to live 

 in these plants, one would expect to find the shrubs partly torn 

 up; but I can find no evidence in favour of this. Though I 

 have been upon the ranges where both Keas and vegetable 

 sheep were numerous, I have always found the plants intact. 



Lastly, when the Kea first attacked sheep, according to 

 the first accounts, the shoulder or the rump, the latter in 

 preference, was the part chosen. Now, if the bird were in 

 the first instance looking for grubs, he would almost be 

 certain to have worked right along the back : but the 

 evidence disproves this. 



It therefore seems to me that, unless some very strong new 

 evidence is forthcoming in support of this theory, we have 

 no alternative but to leave it in future out of consideration. 



THE CURIOSITY THEORY. 



The supporters of this theory say that it has been nothing 

 but the Kea's insatiable curiosity and love of investigation 

 that has got it into the habit of sheep-killing. 



As has been shown in a previous chapter, it is never 

 happier than when it is pulling something to pieces, and 

 anything with a strange appearance is always a temptation 

 too strong for the Kea to resist. Now, the suggestion 

 embodied in the theory is this — that, when sheep first wandered 

 into the Kea's domain, as the bird had very likely never 

 before in its life seen anything that walked on four legs, 

 this woolly animal at once aroused its curiosity. With the 

 Kea, to wish to investigate is to do it, and the sheep became 

 a centre of attraction. 



The bird would no doubt walk round these strange 

 animals and inspect them from all sides, and when satisfied 

 with the view from the ground it would fly on to the sheep's 

 back. 



This would naturally cause the sheep to move, and the 



