Witson,— Disappearance of the Small Birds of New Zealand. 241 
the first vietims, and their disappearance dates some fifteen years back, 
since which time it has been a rare sight indeed to see one ; this loss is 
much to be regretted, as the bell-bird was by far the best songster of the 
New Zealand forests. 
The robin was a small brown bird of peculiarly gentle aspect and 
tame disposition, resembling in fact his English namesake in everything 
except colour. The disappearance of these birds began nearly about the 
same time as the bell-bird, and now the rising generation will scarcely 
ever have seen a single individual of the species. 
It is somewhat singular, however, that while these and other birds have 
become extinct in this part of the island, some of the smaller kinds have 
suffered apparently but very little diminution ; and with a reference to 
these we will conclude the chapter. : 
Most notable amongst the survivors are the fan-tail or fly-catcher, and 
the riroriro. No other bird forces itself so much on the attention of 
the dweller in the bush as the fan-tail. They haunt about a camp and 
find an easy subsistence on the flies which there congregate, darting 
about with outspread tail in pursuit of their prey, and giving vent to their 
feelings in a sharp, petulant note. 
On resuming the occupation of an old whare at times, some of these 
little ereatures will pay an early visit to those whom they evidently look 
upon as old friends and benefactors, and on such occasions they will plainly 
testify their satisfaction at a renewal of the intimacy. 
The riroriro, which corresponds to the old country wren, is a small 
grey bird of unpretending appearance, but, like many unassuming indivi- 
duals of our own species, they belie their looks, possessing a more than 
usual share of sagacity and instinct. Their nest is shaped like a pear, with 
a door in the side sheltered by a small veranda-like projection, and the 
natives aver that this nest is built so that the door is always turned in the 
direction opposite to the prevailing wind of that year. Finding a nest then 
in the spring, with the hole faced to the north, a season of southerly winds 
and consequent fine weather may be predicted, and vice versá. 
It is said that the severity of a winter in North America may be 
predieted by the quantity of nuts found in the hoard of a squirrel, and 
similar instances of prophetie sagacity might be multiplied ; in fact, instinct 
taken by itself is utterly beyond our comprehension, and cannot be 
accounted for by any effort of human reason. There is no doubt, however, 
that the bird is weather-wise beyond the common, and a well-known Maori 
song alludes to it thus :—** The riroriro sings, it is a sign of the approaching 
summer." This peculiarity I ean vouch for myself; on many occasions my 
attention was drawn by the continued singing of these birds, and it was 
: El 
