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On the Kea Parrot of New Zealand.



vicious male, and a young female. As it was coming up a misty

sou’-wester—good for birds—we decided to stay out all night,

and set about cutting some manuka and tussock for a bed, which

we placed alongside a big rock.


A KEA’s NEST.


Before dawn I was wakened by more calling, and went up

to our traps. A bird came over and began calling, but would not

come near the traps, staying down by the male bird we had

caught the night before. I went back and saw her, with tail

spread and wings drooping, run to the edge of a bluff and fly off

into the ravine without a sound. I guessed immediately that she

had a nest, and as soon as there was enough light we started

looking for it. When we were just giving up hope of finding it,

and were going to turn the male bird loose and follow him, we

heard the female call away down in the bottom of a big rock slip,

and I caught a glimpse of her as she moved. Hurrying to the

spot, we found a lot of loose feathers and droppings, which in¬

dicated the presence of a nest. We soon located it, in a long

hole, the entrance of which was formed by two enormous

boulders, which leaned against one another, forming a triangular

space, partly blocked by a third stone. This latter we removed

by using a thick vine as a rope, and after much scratching and

scraping I reached in, and striking a match, saw the bird on her

nest. More scraping and digging among the small stones and

earth, and then I reached in, but quickly withdrew my hand,

minus a small piece of the middle finger. I then wrapped a

handkerchief round my hand, and very soon had the bird out. I

handed her to Mr. Murchison to hold, and she immediately took

a piece out of his coat and clawed him pretty thoroughly, but my

attention was on the nest, and, to my joy, I found four pure white

eggs. They were laid on the ground among a few chips of

rotten wood and bark, about five feet from the entrance of the

hole.


More than satisfied with our night’s work, we returned to

the Take, and that afternoon H. and myself, with many thanks

for the hospitality and assistance we had received, left for home.



