794 



The Sparrow-like Birds 



Stitch-bird. New Zealand is the home of several species, among them the 

 curious Stitch-bird (Pogonornis cincta), which gets its name from certain of its 

 notes which resemble the striking together of two quartz pebbles, the sound 

 having a fanciful resemblance to the word stc-tch. It occurs on the North 

 Island only, having become exceedingly rare in late years, and is perhaps on 

 the verge of extinction, frequenting the deep wooded gullies and dense timber 

 along river bottoms, being very shy and active in all its movements, and feed- 

 ing on insects, the honey of various bush flowers, and the smaller varieties of 

 berries. The sexes are so different in appearance that they are often regarded 

 as belonging to distinct species, the male having the head and neck all around 

 and the chest velvety black, while from the sides of the head just behind the 

 eye spring small erectile tufts of white feathers; a narrow band across the chest 

 and the lesser wing-coverts are bright yellow, the remainder of the lower parts 

 being pale yellowish brown with darker centers to the feathers; the female is 

 dull brownish olive, becoming paler below, and has a white wing-band; the 

 length of both is seven inches. The male bird, says Buller, "erects the tail 

 and spreads the ear-tufts when excited or alarmed, but the female habitually 

 carries the tail perfectly erect. The male utters at short intervals and with 

 startling energy a melodious whistling call of three notes." 



Parson-bird ; Tui. Also inhabiting New Zealand as well as the Australian 

 islands is a remarkable species called the Parson-bird, or Tui (Prosthemddera 



novcB-zealandlce}, which is among the largest 

 members of the family, attaining a length of 

 twelve and a half inches. It is bluish or 

 greenish black with metallic reflections, the 

 hind neck being ornamented with a collar of 

 long, soft filamentous plumes, each with a 

 white shaft-streak, while on the sides of the 

 throat are tufts of long, white curly feathers, 

 which form two large globes. "This noisy 

 fellow," says Mr. Layard, "is forever on 

 the move, either flitting about the trees or 

 soaring in airy circles over the forest. This 

 latter pastime usually comes off in the 

 evening when eight or ten may often be 

 seen flying together over trees, turning, twisting, throwing somersaults, dropping 

 from a height with expanded wings and tail, and performing other antics, till, as if 

 guided by some preconcerted signal, they suddenly dive into the forest and are lost 

 to view." The Tui, being an excellent mimic, is prized by both natives and colo- 

 nists as a cage bird, and can be taught to articulate sentences of several words 

 each, whistle a few bars from a popular tune, or imitate the barking of a dog. 

 It is, however, of rather delicate constitution and rarely survives more than a 

 year or two of confinement. It builds a rather large nest of twigs mixed with 

 moss and fern hair and lined with soft grasses and feathers; the nest is usually 

 placed in the fork of a bushy shrub only a few feet from the ground, and the 



FIG. 220. Parson-bird, Prosthemadera 

 novcB-zealandicE. 



