Cock. 



In. 



Lines, 



3 



6 



2 



2 



2 



6 



17 



6 



Potts. — iV^ew; Zealand Birds. 191 



Note. — December 24th. Took a kiwi from rather a deep hole beneath a 

 fragment of rock, just within the scrub bush, about a mile westward of the 

 Franz Joseph glacier ; about two miles further to the west, near the north 

 bank of the Waio river, found a pair of kiwis in a hole under the roots of a 

 large konine {Fuschia excorticata). 



This pair of birds gave the following measurements : — 



Hen. 

 In. Lines. 

 Bill from gape ... ... ... 4 3 



Tarsus ... ... ... ... 2 6 



Middle toe and claw . ... ... 2 6 



Total length ... ... ... 18 



It will be observed from these dimensions that the hen slightly exceeds the 

 cock in size, and that this disparity is most noticeable in the length of the bill. 

 It is also commonly said that the female kiwi is the larger bird, and dissection 

 of several specimens confirmed this statement. In all cases we found the 

 gizzards to contain a very considerable quantity of rough pieces of slate and 

 quartz, also rarely a few very hard seeds. These stony fragments in a fair 

 average gizzard weighed as much as 114|^ grains, five of the largest pieces 

 weighing about five grains each. We believe the hard seeds had not been 

 picked up for food, but for the purpose of trituration, probably in some 

 locality where bits of stone were rarely met with. 



When the kiwi is deprived of its skin or feathers, immediately below 

 the lower neck on each side at the base of the wings, there may be noticed a 

 rather angular-shaped protuberance not unlike the mamma of certain animals. 

 These are adipose deposits of very firm texture, which we incline to believe 

 are of material assistance during incubation. The diflSculty that has been 

 felt in imderstanding how an egg so disproportionate in size can be successfully 

 hatched by a bird not larger than an ordinary barn-door fowl has led to many 

 curious surmises. According to Mr. Docherty the kiwi, with her eg^ 

 deposited on the bare soil, proceeds with the labour of incubation by arranging 

 the egg between the feet, its axis or long diameter being kept parallel to the 

 body. Now, the keelless sternum being laid on the egg, with the prsepectoral 

 masses of fat pressing on its oval sweep between the bilge and blunt end, 

 may it not be inferred that its monstrous bulk is thus kept from slipping, 

 while receiving its due supply of heat. Being easily turned by rotary motion 

 initiated perhaps by the feet, the warmth derived from these fatty tumours 

 also makes up at one end of the egg for the entire covering of the opposite 

 extremity by the body of the bird, and thus equalizes its temperature to a certain 

 extent. The kiwi, when relieved by its mate, or when resuming its sitting 

 attitude after food search, would \)\xt have to reverse the position previously 



