ON NOCTURNAL ANIMALS. 3819 
hither and thither for their food. ‘his is not of a vegetable 
nature, but consists of worms, snails, lepidopterous larve, and 
such insects as they come across. At such times the very marked 
peculiarities of the long, narrow, terminally knobbed beak, 
the loose, freely movable brush of tactile rictal vibrisse, the 
hair-like feathers set all over the body and short stout legs, are 
plainly adaptations fitted to its nocturnal search for food. As 
regards the eye, this has an absence of pecten or marsupilum com- 
patible with night habit, and it is relatively smaller than in the 
other Struthionide. This is amply compensated for by feathering, 
and especially the extremely sensitive vibrisse. These at every 
motion of the bird inwardly convey impressions of touch, and 
guide it among the dense grass and vegetation where sight might 
be less available. It is said to make a sniffing noise when searching 
for food, possibly produced by the imperfect closure of nostrils 
placed, most unusually, at the bulbous extremity of the beak, as 
this latter is inserted among the loose soil and herbage. But at 
all events the careful dissections of Professor Owen show that the 
organs of smell and taste, as well as hearing, are unusually well- 
developed. In this case the point of the bill, with its nerve- 
endings, has a sense of most delicate touch over and above 
olfactory power. Without going into other detail of structural 
differences between the Apteryz and others of its order, enough 
has been said to show that functionally the former is modified to 
adapt it to nocturnal habits. 
Amongst the noisy diurnal group of Parrots (Psittaci) are two 
night-roamers. One of these is a New Zealand form, and the 
other a native of Australia. 
Of the singular.New Zealand Night Parrot, or Kakapo, 
as the natives name it (Stringops habroptilus), Dr. Giinther 
informs me that it is reported as a perfect nuisance to the 
shepherds. In the dark it steals among the sheep, and, mounting 
their backs, vigourously searches for all the ticks and vermin 
it can find, but in the search it not unfrequently tears the 
skin and flesh as well as the wool. In this respect it is a bad 
imitator of the African Oxpeckers, Buphaga. The Stringops is a 
larger bird than Geopsittacus, presently to be mentioned, though 
intensely like it in its sap-green colour, markings, and outward 
aspect generally. It has a dazed eye during the day, indicative 
of moderate light being most suitable for perfect vision. ‘The 
