182 Transactions. — Zoology. 



intelligence ; perhaps this notion is conveyed by its narrow, but bright pale 

 yellow iris ; the tongue is pointed, and furnished on the inferior side with a 

 strong muscular process of almost horn-like consistence. Both skin and flesh 

 are dark, but the flavour of the bird is not at all bad. It makes a savoury 

 broil for those who bring the proper (hunger) sauce ; when not so provided 

 they do wanton mischief who kill a bird so harmless and interesting. 



They are very sociable, and a bush-hand, living the life of a hermit in his 

 little whare of tree-fern stems, up the Waio river-bed, fed some thrushes 

 until he had enticed them to enter his hut. Once up the Havelock in one of 

 the outskirts of a mixed bush of Phyllocladus, Fagus^ and Podocarpus', several 

 thrushes Avere observed flying from the top of a tree after insects, fly-catcher 

 fashion, in the glow of a hot afternoon. 



The writer inclines to the belief that the imitation of the red-bill's note, 

 above alluded to, is a good instance of the protective mimicry of sound. 

 The pio-pio gets ample food, in the summer days at least, from the glades in 

 the river beds. Over these, high above, dash the falcons from amongst the 

 rocky heights of the mountain chain ; the hawk notes the movement of a 

 bird below, but hearing the simulated cry of the red-bill, withholds his 

 dashing swoop, knowing that the wary red-bill will alarm his faithful mate, 

 and that the pair, with forces combined, are not to be attacked with impunity. 



No. 37-8. — Ehipidura. 



Fantails. 



Dr. Finsch states, " All the specimens I have seen showed not the slightest 

 sign of a white spot above the eye." The black flycatcher, with the white 

 spot, is not uncommon about Ohinitahi. Specimens could be procured without 

 difficulty. The writer has called the attention of ornithologists to the fact 

 of the interbreeding of the black with the pied species [Trans. N.Z. Inst., 

 Yol. II., p. 64). Such joint nests, with eggs, have been placed in our collection 

 in the Canterbury Museum. To those who take an interest in bird architec- 

 ture these exhibit features of great interest ; the writer has pointed out a 

 peculiar style of construction which sometimes marks the work of R. Jlabellifera 

 in order to meet the conditions of certain positions ; in an union nest where 

 the ^en bird was a Jlahellifera the domestic structure showed the influence of 

 her instinct by the affixing of the appendage used, as the writer believes, to 

 steady the nest in very good positions for a food supply for the young ; but at 

 the same time these sites are affected, perhaps, by sudden draughts of air or 

 puffs of wind. Now, the question is whether a pair of R. fuliginosa would 

 have ventured to build a home in the position chosen by the union nest 

 builders, not possessing the superior intelligence of the pied species ? As far 

 as our observations of some years are of value they would not, neither would 



