456 't'he Cuckoo-like Birds 



longer than deep and has the culmen grooved along the middle, while the base 

 of the lower mandible is partially hidden by soft, hairy feathers which project 

 forward; the cere is also partly covered with hairy feathers. The tarsus is 

 relatively long and the bony ring about the socket of the eye incomplete, while 

 the wings are long and rather pointed, the tail of moderate length, even at the 

 tip, and with the shafts pointed and projecting beyond the webs. The tongue 

 is provided with a fringe of delicate hairs at the extremity. 



Kaka Parrot. The only widely distributed species is the Brown Parrot 

 (N. meridionalis), better known by its Maori name of Kaka in imitation of its 

 loud cry, which is found in suitable, usually mountainous, situations throughout 

 both islands of New Zealand. The general hue of the plumage is olive-brown 

 above, becoming gray on the top of the head, yellowish on the ear-coverts, and 

 purplish red on the abdomen and over the tail, while the back of the neck is 

 provided with a band of yellowish red; the length is eighteen and a half or nine- 

 teen inches and the sexes are alike in coloration. There is considerable variation 

 in both size and color and it is not infrequent to find them almost entirely yellow 

 and red, or even albino. The Kaka is strictly arboreal in its habits and is a 

 sprightly, active, eminently social, and exceedingly noisy bird, going about in 

 small parties and making the forests resound with its wild, harsh screams. 

 " Being seminocturnal in its habits," says Sir Walter Buller, " it generally remains 

 quiet and concealed during the heat of the day. If, however, the sportsman 

 should happen to find a stray one, and to wound instead of killing it, its cries 

 of distress will immediately arouse the whole fraternity from their slumbers, 

 and all the Kakas within hearing will come to the rescue, and make the forest 

 echo with their discordant screams. Unless, however, disturbed by some ex- 

 citing cause of this sort, they remain in close cover till the approach of the cooler 

 hours. Then they come forth with noisy clamor, and may be seen far above 

 the tree-tops, winging their way to some favorite feeding place; or they may be 

 observed climbing up the rough vine-clad boles of the trees, freely using their 

 powerful mandibles and assuming every variety of attitude, or diligently tearing 

 open the dead roots of the close epiphytic vegetation in their eager search for 

 insects and their larvae. In the spring and summer, when the woods are full 

 of wild blossoms, these birds have a prodigality of food, and may be seen alter- 

 nately filling their crops with a variety of juicy berries, or sucking nectar from 

 the crimson flowers of the rata (Metrosideros} by means of their brush-fringed 

 tongues. With the earliest streaks of dawn, and while the underwoods are still 

 wrapped in darkness, the wild cry of this bird breaks upon the ear with a strange 

 effect." They also become more or less active during the gloomy weather, and 

 occasionally may be seen abroad in bright sunlight, flying and circling with 

 loud screams above the tree-tops. During the breeding season, which begins 

 in November, the pairs are constantly in each other's company, and the nest is 

 usually placed in the hollow trunk of a decayed tree or in a rocky crevice. The 

 eggs, usually four but sometimes five or six, are white, and measure one and 

 three quarters by one and a quarter inches. The Kaka is a good mimic and 

 talker, living for many years when in captivity, and is often kept as a pet by the 



