62 APPENDIX: NO. XLII. 
vegetable matter. He employed himself in this worm-hunting for a 
considerable time, leisurely examining the whole heap. More than 
once he stretched himself, standing on one leg, extending the other 
behind, and protruding his neck and body in front to their utmost 
extent. But a partial stretching of the legs behind was frequent, an 
action accompanied in other birds by an extension of the corre- 
sponding wing. I had many opportunities of observing that his 
sense of hearing is acute, for if I made the slightest unustal noise, 
he stopped in whatever be was about, and remained perfectly motion- 
less for a few seconds. All the while the only sounds heard from 
him were the scarcely audible rub made by the penetrating beak, the 
snapping of the mandibles as the worms were being swallowed, or 
the sniffle as he brought his nostrils above ground after each act of 
exploration. The light thrown just upon the extraordinary-looking 
being gave a very striking effect. His long legs and beak, his 
unearthly figure, his quiet mysterious movements, just visible upon 
the black soil, made one think of warlocks and such “lang-nebbit 
things”; and then again of the sailors in the New Zealand yarn, 
who lay out to wait for a Moa, and on seeing it come out into the 
light of the moon, were afraid to fire. 
When at length the Kiwi-kiwi left his hunting-ground, he came 
forward to his larder and ate one or two bits of meat, apparently 
finding them not by the eye, but by the sense of smell, for he did 
not at once direct his beak to them, but kept dotting it about until 
it alighted on them; though at this time I think the light was not in 
his eyes. .Soon afterwards he went to the wainscot to my left hand, 
and ran backwards and forwards along it for a short distance, turning 
round awkwardly towards the wainscot, so that his beak clattered 
against it and got in his way. He ran quicker and quicker, until 
his legs slipped from under him in a sudden turn, and he fell side- 
ways. He recovered himself immediately, and trotted rapidly into 
his box. It is probable that the light, or some movement I had 
made with it, had caused a sudden panic, or confused him; but I have 
seen him running backwards and forwards against the wall when 
disturbed in the day-time. In his box I presently heard his beak 
snapping at the rate of four or five to a second, for several seconds 
together, as I had never heard it before. In a few minutes he came 
out again, quite composed, and strode about following his old 
occupations. 
I have before alluded to his principal modes of progression, but 
cannot hope to give an accurate idea of them. His fastest pace, 
if L understand it rightly, is made up of a succession of rapid strides 
causing the continuous advance of the body in a scarcely undulating 
line, both feet never being off the ground at once. But a more 
ordinary pace is a kind of elastic trot, which I have heard compared 
to that of the Cassowary, and which is characterized by a slight 
approach to the bounding action which most persons are familiar with 
in the Ratel [Mellivora], but i cannot say that it is produced in the 
same way, for I have not been able to analyze it satisfactorily in 
, 
Aa ae 
