THE APTERYX. 



J395 



than the last- mentioned bird, and manifests some attachment to 

 its master. It is an excellent and useful acquisition to man, for 

 its flesh being of an agreeable flavour, is much esteemed. The 

 few specimens which have been brough tto Europe seem to 

 have been readily acclimated, for they have bred. 



KIVI-KIVI, or APTERYX (Fig. 157), so called from the Greek 

 a.Trrtp6v, " wingless," is a singular bird, bearing but little resemblance 



Fig. 157. Kivi-kivi, or Apteryx (Apteryx australis, Gould). 



to the other members of the class. It is no larger than a Fowl, 

 and combines the bill of the Woodcock with the feet of the Galli- 

 naceous tribe. The shortness of its wings, which are entirely 

 unfit for flight, is the sole characteristic which entitles it to rank 

 with the group in which it is placed. 



The plumage of the Apteryx is brown ; it has no tail, and its 

 mere stumps of wings are provided with strong and curved claws. 

 It is a native of New Zealand, and keeps in the marshes, where it 

 feeds on worms and grubs: being nocturnal, it does not leave 

 its retreat until the evening. In spite of its short legs, it runs 

 very fast, but if overtaken does not yield without an effort, using 

 either its feet, armed as they are with long and sharp claws, 

 or the points at the end of its wings, as weapons of defence. It 

 builds a very rough nest among the roots of marsh- growing shrubs, 

 and lays a single egg, excessively large in proportion to the size 



