FouRNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 27 
form of beak he could not peck through the rough bark. The grub, 
disturbed by the continuous pecking, has moved away from it as far 
as possible, so that when the opening is made the bird could not get 
his prey if his partner were not at hand to insert her longer beak and 
bring him forth to be devoured. Instead, however, of selfishly ap- 
propriating it, they mutually declare a dividend, and share and share 
alike. We are sometimes a little amused at the ideas of some of our 
sceptical friends, who, in order if possible to get rid of a designing, 
intelligent Creator, would strive to make this very beak the mere 
product of the bird’s necessities. What amuses us is the existence 
of the original birds depending upon this kind of food until a means 
to procure it was evolved or developed. Poor things, they must have 
had a sorry time of it waiting for this development to enable them 
to live at all. 
THE KIWI (KEE-WEE). 
We come now for a little time to consider those very queer birds 
of New Zealand, with a considerable number of species—birds with- 
out wings and without feathers. 
The kind represented in the picture is the North Island Kiwi 
(Kee-wee)—the Apteryx Bullert. I have a stuffed specimen in my 
collection of the South Island Kiwi, which differs a good deal from 
the Kiwi of the North Island in formation of the body, and color 
and form of coating, which is a continuous spreading of the hair in- 
stead of layers as in the picture. The Kiwi feeds in the low grounds 
or marshes on worms, snails and grubs, as its long, thin beak would 
naturally indicate to the reader. The head is smal!, but the neck is 
large and muscular. ‘The thighs and feet are also very muscular and 
powerful, far beyond what might seem necessary for the general size 
of the bird. When at rest it tucks its head and beak so perfectly 
under its fluffy coat that all semblance to a bird is lost, and you see 
only what looks like a round ball of coarse wool. It is nocturnal in 
its habits and is quite unable to endure the light. The skin of the 
Kiwi is so thick and tough that shoes can easily be made from it. 
It resembles the skin of an animal rather than that of a bird. 
One of the most striking peculiarities of the Kiwi is the enot- 
mous size of their eggs. Though the bird is not larger in size than 
the average domestic hen, the egg, in many instances, measures 
nearly five inches in length and over three inches wide. 
