KEA HUNTING. 131 



from the very first in the habit of rising rather wild, and I 

 got to l^now it well from an unusual call that it had. 

 However, although I got eight out of the nine, the killing 

 went on as badly as ever. Sometimes as many as three sheep 

 would be killed in one night, but, try as I would, I could not 

 steal unawares upon the culprit, for he was always alert and 

 became very sparing with his peculiar call. After many nights 

 of weary walk and disappointment (I had a ten mile tramp 

 each time, five miles there and five miles back), it struck me 

 that its call, after it had flown away, always came from the 

 same direction. This was across a deep gorge, among some 

 almost inaccessible rocks. 



"The next day I went and carefully examined the rocks, 

 and I could see in an open crevice, about sixty feet above me, 

 a hole, which I was satisfied was the Kea's run. I came to 

 the conclusion that this would be a likely place for him to 

 spend the time after his night's carnival ; and I determined, 

 therefore, at first full moon to bring my gun and watch 

 below for his home coming. 



"After a good many disappointments, I was sitting on a 

 stone about three o'clock one clear frosty morning in August 

 just beneath the crevices, and was just dropping ofif to 

 sleep, with my gun on my knees, when a black shadow 

 crossed the stones at my feet. 



" I looked up, and saw a Kea just alighting on the edge 

 of the rock. I had it down in a twinkling. It was no 

 doubt the old bird, for in my time on the station there 

 were no more sheep killed in the camp." 



The last general method employed is a very eflfective one, 

 though sometimes risky, and consists in poisoning the dead 

 carcases of the sheep that have been killed by the Kea. 

 Strychnine is sometimes used alone ; but more often this is 

 mixed with arsenic, which is found to be very eflfective. 



A dead sheep, preferably one killed by the Kea, is half 

 skinned and the poison is rubbed in, sometimes the Kea 

 wounds alone being treated. 



During the night the birds come to feed on the remains 

 of their earlier carousal, and usually by daylight a number 



