A FLESH-EATING PARROT 81 



The war against these destructive birds has been 

 waged to such an extent that they are now becoming 

 rare, and I consider myself fortunate in securing five. 

 We saw several deer, two wild pigs, and a drove of 

 wild goats. One of the party shot an old male goat, 

 and carried the skin home as a trophy. We visited 

 the deserted copper mines where native copper had 



THE KEA. 



been found in large masses. The expense of mining 

 and packing it across the almost unscalable mountains, 

 however, had been too great to leave any profit. 



Towards evening an exhausted crew might have been 

 seen slowly trudging Nelsonward. When I arrived at 

 the hotel I had scarcely strength enough to drag my- 

 self up the stairs to my room. Father was writing as 

 I entered, and, laughing heartily, greeted me with, 

 "Well, you look as if you had been on a spree." I 

 tried to "materialize" a smile, but the conditions were 

 not favorable. 



