IJeischek. — On Neiv Zealand Ornithology. 197 



rare, but I was fortunate in securing about a dozen of them. Amongst 

 them was a specimen of a beautiful varied plumage. On the top 

 • of the head' very light green; back, wing-covers, and tail, yellowish- 

 green with crimson spots ; round the bill crimson ; throat, breast, and 

 abdomen yellow with crimson spots ; bill light yellow ; legs silver-grey ; 

 eyes dark-brown. 



In the spring, when the sun begins to shed its warmth, the kakapos 

 emerge from their burrows, and select some favourable spots in the sun- 

 shine, where they crouch down and remain the whole day. In September 

 I selected a suitable day for observing this peculiarity. The snow had dis- 

 appeared from all the sunny places. I found three birds in different places, 

 sitting upon low silver-pine scrub. They took no notice of my approach 

 until I had them safely in my hand, when they endeavoured to release them- 

 selves by biting and scratching. The bush kakapos, like the alpine, get 

 very fat during the winter months. They differ from their alpine allies, 

 inasmuch as they do not retain their own burrows except during the breed- 

 ing season. All the rest of the year the bush kakapos take the first burrow 

 that is unoccupied when daylight approaches. 



8. In the course of my researches I found also two species of leeches, also 

 various parasites. When crossing a creek in Dusky Sound, in September, 

 1884, I felt something on my feet, and on examining them found some small 

 leeches, so I skinned a bird, tied the body to a string, and threw it in the 

 same creek ; on returning in an hour's time I found a good many of these 

 leeches on the body, some being quite red from sucking the blood ; these 

 have been preserved in spirits of wine. The second and larger species I 

 found in the bush, September, 1884, on the leaves of a birch ; their colour 

 was chestnut-brown, they stuck very hard when I was pulling them off. I 

 only found two and gave you one. 



I found a species of tapeworm in the intestines, rectum, of the alpine 

 kakapos (Stringops habroptilus, Gray), which I got on the 25th September — ■ 

 these old male birds were very fat and had as much as two inches at 

 the abdomen. The parasites were alive, from 6 inches to 2 feet long by 

 J inch wide, closely jointed, very thin at the end ; three of them I found 

 knotted together, and many single ones tied in three or four knots ; as soon 

 as I put them in alcohol they shrunk together and sent forth a milky white 

 substance. 



Another parasite was found on the large penguin, and has been des* 

 cribed (vide supra, p. 194). 



Fish in Dusky Sound. 



I may be permitted to mention the wealth which lies in this sound 

 undisturbed* 



