PER CHING-BIRDS— RAILS 



reference is made to the current belief among the coast-population in the existence 

 of an unknown bird or phantom, which, though never seen, makes its presence felt 

 by rushing through the air with a loud whizzing sound. By whalers the producers 

 of the sound were called " break-sea devils," from the name of an island where the 

 phenomenon is, or was said to be, common. The Maoris, on the other hand, attri- 

 bute the sound to a bird furnished with many joints in its wings. These stories, 

 it appears, are based on the notes 

 of the tui, a species which for- 

 merly frequented the primeval 

 forests of New Zealand in great 

 numbers, but now stands in im- 

 minent danger of extermination. 

 According to a local observer, the 

 tuis have the habit of flying at 

 a great height from place to place, 

 rising, it may be, from a deeply 

 wooded glen at a gradual angle 

 and flying regularly till they 

 reach their destination at a great 

 height, when they suddenly drop 

 with a rush into the scrub below. 

 It frequently happens that two 

 or three birds perform this evolu- 

 tion — apparently as a kind of 

 sport — in company, and when this 

 takes place the noise as they rush 

 through the air can be heard at a 

 distance of a quarter of a mile. 

 The impending extermination of 

 these beautiful birds is attributed 

 to their being taken in great 

 numbers for the sake of their 

 plumage, coupled with the fact 

 that the honey-yielding flowers 

 on which they feed are now rifled 

 by starlings and other introduced 

 species. In fine weather tuis 

 mount into the air in parties of 

 half a dozen, turning, twisting, 



throwing somersaults, dropping from a height with expanded wings and tail, 

 and performing other antics, till, as if guided by some preconcerted signal, they 

 suddenly dive into the forest and are lost to view. 



With the weka rail, or wood-hen (Ocyclromus australis), which 



is a native of New Zealand and the neighbouring islands, we come 



to the first of the species which seldom or never fly. The weka, which is about 



the size of an ordinary hen, still retains the power of flight, although it depends 



vol. in. — 19 



THE TTJI OR PARSON-BIRD. 



Rails. 



