742 Letters, Notes and Extracts. 



doubt upon this subject, more especially as the living bird 

 received by the Zoological Society in 1881 was provided with 

 a mutton-chop every day,, and eat it in the face of all London. 

 But in c Nature' of Dec. 28th, 1905, we were told that at a 

 recent meeting of the " Wellington Philosophical Society" it 

 had been decided that the alleged sheep- killing and flesh- 

 eating habits of the Kea were " without a shadow of 

 foundation," and that " although the legend cannot be said 

 to be completely disproved, yet there is not a scrap of 

 evidence in its favour " ! 



This categorical denial of what had been long considered 

 an established fact fortunately attracted the attention of 

 Dr. W. B. Benham, now at Dunedin, whose views on the 

 question will be found in 'Nature' of April 12th, 1906. 

 Dr. Benham, after making diligent enquiries, came to the 

 conclusion that there could be no doubt that the Keas ' ' have 

 wrought and are still causing great havoc among the sheep 

 in certain districts." He quotes the following amongst 

 other evidence on the subject. 



Mr. Fraser, a Stock-Inspector in Nelson province, writes: — 



" I was engaged sheep-farming in the Hawea and Wanaka- 

 lake districts in 1871—1883. I lost thousands of sheep from 

 Keas. I have seen the Kea attacking the sheep, and 

 also eating into a sheep when the latter was stuck in deep 

 snow. I have opened scores of Keas-crops, and found wool 

 and meat therein. 1 have laid poison in dead sheep in the 

 snow, and gone back later and found dead Keas." 



After this we think there need be no more question of 

 the carnivorous habits of Nestor notabilis. 



Mr. W. L. Sclater. — Mr. W. L. Sclater, who has resigned, 

 the Directorship of the South- African Museum, Cape Town, 

 has accepted the post of Director of the Colorado College 

 Museum, Colorado, U.S.A. Mr. J. A. S. Bucknill (of 

 Pretoria) has been elected President of the South-African 

 Ornithologists' Union, to succeed Mr. W. L. Sclater. 



