Beischek.— On New Zealand Ornithology. 195 



As I have not seen any specimens of Dr. Bailer's Nestor occidentalis nor 

 of the Nestor montanus which were previously obtained and described I can 

 only depend on my own observations, of which I am positive, and also can 

 prove by a series of specimens I have collected of the Nestor meridionalis, 

 North Island kaka — adult, half- grown nestlings, and egg — having a similar 

 series of the above Nestor and also of Nestor notabilis. 



At first I called this bird Nestor occidentalis according to the description 

 Dr. Buller has in his Manual, which is similar, but I do not like to give it 

 any name until I am sure that it is one of the previously-named species. I 

 only hold by my own observations that in New Zealand there are three 

 species of Nestor — as Nestor meridionalis, Nestor — — ■? and Nestor notabilis. 



7. Stringojjs habroptilus. Kakapo. 



On my last researches in the sounds I had the opportunity to observe 

 minutely the habits and habitat of these birds. They are common in some 

 parts of the bush. The young ones are much duller in plumage than their 

 parents. When hatched they are covered with white down, which in 

 about a month's time gives place to a fledging of feathers, the down remain- 

 ing upon the feathers until the birds are about three months old. In April 

 last I found under the root of a red birch, in a burrow, two young kakapos. 

 During the same month I found several other young birds of this species. 

 So late in the season as the 12th May Mr. Docherty found a kakapo's nest 

 containing a female sitting upon an egg with a chick just hatched. Mr. 

 Docherty kindly pointed out the nest which I measured. The burrow had 

 an entrance from both sides, and two compartments. Both entrances led 

 to the first compartment, the second and deeper chamber being connected 

 with the first by a small burrow of about a foot. The nest was in the outer 

 compartment, and was guarded by very strong rocks, rendering it difficult to 

 open up. The distance from the entrances to the nest were two feet and 

 three feet respectively. The first chamber was twenty-four inches by 

 eighteen inches, and twelve inches high. The inner compartment was four- 

 teen inches by twelve inches, and only six inches high. The nest was 

 formed by a deepening, lined with wood dust, ground by the bird as 

 fine as sawdust, and feathers, which the female had evidently plucked from 

 her own breast, which was quite bare. From my observations I am of 

 opinion that the male bird takes no part in the hatching or rearing of the 

 chicks, as in all cases the female was the sole attendant from first to last. 

 I did not see a male near a breeding burrow, nor did I in any single instance 

 find two grown-up birds in one burrow, though I have seen them hi pairs 

 on their nocturnal rambles. "Whenever two males meet they fight, the 

 death of the weaker sometimes resulting. The female is much the smaller 

 (probably about three-fourths the weight), and duller in plumage. These 

 bush kakapos are very common in various parts of the Sounds district, 



