RED-THROATED PIHA. 75 



dently prejudiced, however, in his determination to 

 regard this as a perfectly true chatterer; and, to 

 support his opinion, he asserts that it takes no other 

 nourishment but fruits, an assertion which the above 

 peculiarity in its structure absolutely demonstrate* 

 to be false ; for there cannot be the least doubt that 

 nature has given to this bird an organization in the 

 stiff bristles of its bill, which, did it live on fruits 

 only, would be perfectly useless. 



The Piha, according to Le Vaillant, lives only in 

 the forests, where it builds, on the highest branches, 

 a large nest, in which the female deposits four eggs. 

 It seems to have no other note than that which 

 resembles the words pi-hau-hau^ uttered rather in an 

 agreeable than a harsh tone. The plumage of both 

 sexes is of a deep and uniform black, with little 01 

 no gloss on the feathers, and equally dark on every 

 part of the plumage. The male is distinguished by 

 having the feathers of the throat of a very deep 

 crimson, resembling, both in colour and rigidity, 

 those which belong to the Ampilis pompadoura ; 

 out all the other feathers are of the ordinary soft- 

 ness : the tip of the chin is black. The female and 

 young male are entirely without this ornamental 

 patch, the throat being wholly black, like the rest 

 of the plumage. 



Total length, 1 1 inches ; bill, from the gape, 1 T 4 ; 

 from the front, 1 ; wings, 7 ; tail beyond, ] ^ ; from 

 the base, 5 ; tarsus, T ^. 



The bird just before alluded to forms the genus 



