CHAP. VII.] ANNOYANCES. 145 



which are always built on posts, to guard against 

 the rats, and also two other houses. A thick forest 

 surrounded this place on all sides. The plantations 

 of potatoes, all belonging to Tangutu, and planted 

 with his own hands, were in tolerably good order. 

 There was no want of provisions ; and pigeons, pota- 

 toes, leeks, taro, cabbage, turnips, and the young 

 shoots of Sonchus oleraceus were all at our command. 

 Before it was quite dark, flights of the Austral 

 Nestor passed over our encampment, shrieking in a 

 dismal manner, and alighted for a moment on one 

 of the dead trees at the skirt of the forest, to watch 

 with a stupid curiosity what was going on below ; 

 but they soon became quiet, with the rest of the in- 

 habitants of the forest. In the twilight there was 

 also a small bat flying about, but I did not succeed 

 in shooting one. During the day a sandfly (ngamu), 

 a tipula, is very troublesome in New Zealand, 

 especially near the sea-shore; and, diminutive as 

 they are, they are perhaps the most bloodthirsty 

 animals that exist, attacking all the exposed parts 

 of the body. With the last ray of the sun they all 

 disappear, but are immediately replaced by the mus- 

 quittos, which, however, are numerous only in par- 

 ticular spots, such as the cleared places of the forest. 

 We had taken our abode in an old house, where 

 the rats ran over us all night, and two species of 

 smaller animals, not to be named to ears polite, 

 were by no means scarce. An old native house is a 

 hotbed for all this vermin, and after this night's 

 VOL. i. L 



