3904 The Zoologist— March, 1874 



is as bold as the robin or tit, without their intrusive friendliness ; 

 that, when in the presence of strangers, coolly pursues its occupa- 

 tion without the prying inquisitiveness of the brown creeper, or the 

 watchful distrust of the popokatea; that defends his home with 

 almost the courage of the falcon or tern. It seems to delight in 

 those openings which are found in river-beds, between long belts 

 of tutu and other scrub ; there it may be observed either hopping 

 along the ground or fluttering about the lower sprays of shrubs, 

 flying out to the spits of sand, or drifted trees that lie stranded 

 in the river-bed. On some of the longer-formed spits that are 

 becoming clothed with vegetation, it searches amongst the burry 

 (AccB/ui), snips off the fruit-stalks of moss, picking the seed of some 

 trailing Veronica. Its progress on the ground is usually deliberate ; 

 it hops with both feet together, a slight flutter of the wings and a 

 flirt of the tail accon)panying each motion ; when approached too 

 closely it leaves its perch, always descending at first, as though 

 safer when near or on the ground ; if it would rise on the wing a 

 momentum is gained by a succession of hops. In some of its habits 

 one is reminded much of the wattle-bird ; its usual associates, at 

 any rale during the summer months, are tuis, parroquets and robins. 

 Not much secretiveness is displayed in the choice of a site for its 

 nest; it may be found at varying distances from the earth, from 

 four feet to twelve and upwards, usually at seven or eight. The 

 structure is firmly and compactly built, with small sprays for the 

 foundation, on which moss is abundantly interwoven with pliant 

 twigs ; the lining is usually of fine grass bents ; some nests are 

 finished off with soft tree-fern down ; it is usually placed in tutu 

 {Coriaria rusci/olia), sometimes in Coprosma or manuka. From 

 the neighbourhood of its home rivals of its own species as w^ell as 

 other birds are driven off. Probably it breeds twice in the season, 

 although we have not observed more than two eggs to a nest; yet 

 we have found four eggs tolerably forward in the ovary of a female 

 killed at Christmas time : the full complement of eggs is probably 

 four. The egg is of ovoid, sometimes elongated form, pure while, 

 spotted with blackish brown or black, purplish at the edges of the 

 spots; sometimes it is of a delicate pinkish tinge, just staining the 

 white, spotted with brownish gray, with purplish blotches at the 

 larger end. From a nest found at Arahura we have an egg that 

 exactly resembles in its colour and markings that of Oriolus galbula 

 of Europe : in size this specimen measures through the axis one 



