874 Transactions,—Zvology, 
then turned its head northwards again. A week or two later it was found 
near the mouth of the Manawatu River, and carried inland to Foxton, It 
commemorated its arrival by swallowing some ducklings and chickens, It 
was then passed on to a settler * up in the bush," where it killed and 
devoured a well-grown pullet. I arrived just in time to prevent its being 
sacrificed to the anger of the good housewife. Thence it was deported by 
coach to Wellington, making its escape on the Manawatu sands, en route, 
and detaining Her Majesty’s mails while being recaptured. After keeping 
the bird caged for a few days I turned it loose in the garden, where it has 
remained for upwards of six months without any attempt to get away. 
Christened “Peter” by the children, he has become quite tame and 
familiar, answering to his name and taking food from the hand. He has 
selected a sunny spot on high ground, as an outlook station by day and as a 
sleeping-place by night. He wanders over the place freely, looking for 
worms and grubs, and during the heat of the day seeks the shade of some 
bushy shrub. He is almost omnivorous, but gives the preference to fish 
and meat. On a dead bird being offered him he runs off with it in his beak, 
then holding it down with his feet, plucks the feathers off and devours the 
flesh. On throwing him a blight-bird (Zosterops lateralis) he bolted it, 
feathers and all. His capacity for swallowing fish is something astonishing, 
his crop becoming greatly distended. He has the power of regurgitating his 
food, and will sometimes reproduce from his throat a bone of marvellous 
size, the wonder being how he ever managed to swallow it. Although not 
habitually a nocturnal bird, he sometimes gets very excited after dark, 
hurrying about the garden with outstretched wings and uttering a peculiar 
cry as if being suffocated. At other times he emits at intervals a note like 
the crowing of a pheasant. During the day Peter is noiseless, except when 
quarrelling with the sea-gull or disputing possession of a bone with the 
dog, when he has a short peevish note, quickly repeated. His first encounter 
with a tame cockatoo in the garden was quite ludicrous. He first played 
the role of assailant, but the moment his opponent erected his crest, Peter 
quailed and ran away. After this they established friendly relations with 
each other, often basking together in the sun, and drinking from the same 
fountain. 
I have mentioned before that this capture is the first known instance of 
the occurrence of the Southern Skua in the North Island. I have lately, 
however, met with another on the West Coast. Travelling by coach we found 
one, apparently a fine male in full plumage, on the sandy beach, not far 
from the Otaki river. He was evidently worn out with fatigue, and would 
not rise till the coach was within a few yards of him; then rising with a 
slow and laboured flight, he proceeded a few hundred yards and alighted 
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