CHAP. VII.] FOREST TRAVELLING. 147 



bird that I found here is of a new species ; it is 

 called E Ihi, and belongs to the class of the honey- 

 eaters. 1 Another bird, the tierawaki (Jcterus *- 

 fiiator, Less.), is very common. It is as large as a * V* 

 blackbird, of a jet-black plumage, with red-brown 

 coverlets of the wings and tail. It has two small 

 orange-coloured appendages at the base of the beak. 

 This bird is seen on the lower branches of trees, is 

 very lively, and has a loud penetrating note. It 

 always screams when anything attracts its atten- 

 tion- huei, huei, tierawak, tierawak. It feeds prin- 

 cipally on fleshy berries, but also on coleopterous 

 insects. 



Pouring rain lasted during this and the follow- 

 ing day. On the afternoon of the 7th, the weather 

 having somewhat cleared up, we started, but had 

 not proceeded far before the rain again compelled 

 us to halt. It must be observed that travelling 

 through the bush in New Zealand is rather a 

 scrambling affair, and with a load is very fatiguing, 

 and cannot be kept up for a long time. Fifteen 

 miles I considered a very good day's work, even in 

 the open parts of the island. We took up our 

 quarters under the shelter of a rata-tree. 2 Seve- 

 ral species of the kind to which this enormous 

 tree belongs were common ; but the pukatea was 

 the most frequent. I was roused in the night by 

 the psalm-singing of old Tangutu, who could not 

 sleep, and was probably afraid that Atua was de- 



1 Ptilotis cincta, Dub. 2 Metrosideros robusta. 



L2 



