Potts. — New Zealand Birds. 187 



webs, the plumage consisting simply of clothing feathers, which during the 

 progress of the bird give out no sound of fluttering or rustling. This peculiarity 

 of the plumage confers another advantage by its compressibility, whilst it can 

 be kept far cleaner than the integument of birds having feathers with closer 

 vanes, interlocking barbules, or thicker down, as with this hair-like dress a 

 single shake rids the bird of every foreign particle, while the feathers, covering 

 the body like a thatch, effectually keep off the wet of the ever humid ferns 

 and mosses among which the bird lives. Tf an Apteryx be plucked its body 

 will be found somewhat conical from the point of the bill to the thighs, a 

 form well devised for gliding through the thick ferny bottoms choked with 

 the heavy fronds of Todea superba or the close trailing folds of Freycinetia, 

 and enabling the long bill to be used to the greatest advantage in exploring 

 deep but narrow fissures about the roots of trees. 



It is probable that the rowi pairs for life, for there appears to exist 

 between the sexes a lasting companionship. For a nesting place it selects a 

 hole in some huge tree or log, or amongst roots ; sometimes the hole is 

 excavated in a soft bank, where the soil is light ; but in every case care is 

 taken that the site shall be on a ridge or dry ground. We examined a nesting 

 place on the 17th December last, which was tunnelled in a mound of light 

 earth, probably formed by the uprooting of some forest giant ; the entrance 

 was 9 inches in diameter, a chamber was found to be excavated to the left of 

 the entrance, from this to the back of the chamber was a depth of 3 feet, with 

 a height of 15 inches. This retreat had been abandoned by the family, but 

 we picked pieces of egg-shell from the floor. 



The breeding season extends over some months, from October to February. 

 Two eggs are usually laid, on which the old birds rather lie than sit. The mode 

 of roosting is very peculiar ; they squat opposite each other with their legs 

 bent under them, each with its head tucked under the scanty apology for a wing. 

 If there are young in the hole they also assume a similar position, on either 

 side a young bird between the two parents, thus the result of this singular 

 arrangement of the family is a nearly perfect hemisphere of feathers. They 

 often appear torpid or very drowsy when surprised in their homes, sometimes 

 remaining quite undisturbed by noise, and are very rarely discovered except 

 in a hole. In good condition a bird will average from 5 to 6 lbs. in weight. 



Their cry is much harsher than that of the kiwi, sounding something like 

 " cr-r-r-ruck, cr-r-r-ruck," and is not uttered till after sundown ; from timed 

 observations in the bush we noticed that when the sun set about 7.30, we 

 did not hear the rowi till from 8.15 to 8.30. 



The young are well clothed when they leave the shell ; with them the bill 

 is not curved, following the ridge of the upper mandible it is slightly depressed 

 about the middle of its length. The general colour of A. australis is greyish 



