Many writers of Natural History appear to have made a practice of 

 copying from their predecessors : the inconvenience of this arrangement is 

 manifest, in that errors were thus allowed a very protracted existence, such as 

 the fables which were for centuries supposed to describe the natural habits of 

 the Kingfisher, etc. The writer of this paper was long haunted by the 

 vignette title of a popular work on British Birds, the engraving was supposed 

 to give a correct representation of Cinches coquaticus, and nest ; the latter as 

 there figured, presented the conventional basin-shaped arrangement with eggs, 

 all complete, the popular notion of a bird's nest in fact ; now, in reality, the 

 nest is a thick mossy dome-shaped structure, in which the pure-white eggs are 

 concealed from view. Years after quite as great a shock was felt, when on 

 inspecting a public collection, he found that if he placed reliance on what he 

 saw before him, Falcons must have laid Pigeon's eggs, Seagulls had produced 

 those of the Turkey, whilst the Crested Grebe had achieved a Duck's egg. 

 Careless mystifications such as these, should be avoided by those who are 

 expected to impart information, as too improbable. 



An attempt to show, more clearly, the extent which the ravages of a few 

 years have inflicted on the numbers of our birds, may perhaps be excused for 

 the object in view, we will therefore endeavour even at the risk of being 

 tedious, to represent such a scene of the past as one might reasonably expect 

 to meet with, almost daily, during a considerable portion of the year, at the 

 place indicated. One of the most favourable localities for observing the habits, 

 acquiring a knowledge of the notes and cries, and watching the flight of various 

 birds, was not far from the gorge of one of our great southern rivers, where 

 the monotonous flatness of "the plains" gives way to a more broken and undu- 

 lating surface, as an extensive range of hills is approached. This range is on 

 one side flanked by low clowns enclosing a few shallow lagoons, here and there 

 sparsely-wooded gullies intersect the hills, from whence flow two or three 

 brawling creeks, that join and deepen into a swift and silent stream crossing 

 the grassy flat ; the higher portion of this corner of " the plains " is stoney, 

 whilst near the foot of the clowns lies a swamp of no great extent. 



Here upwards of thirty varieties of birds might be observed almost daily, 

 and here too, or within a very moderate circuit, most of them breed. 



Then our handsome Quail abounded, flying straight and low when flushed ; 

 the finding its slight humble nest filled with eggs, was no rare occurrence ; or 

 to see from amidst the snow-grass tussock, the Weka confidently emerge, or to 

 hear the little Grass-bird utter its unchanging note u-tick, u-tick, as rising 

 on feeble wings that just sustained it to the sheltering grass, beneath the 

 spreading leaves of a neighbouring flax bush, whence perhaps the Tit (Petroica) 

 darted to the ground from the tall flower-stalk, to snatch the larvae of the 

 grasshopper. Then the blue Pukeko, prince of Bails, often stalked through 

 the raupo of the swamp, or the brown-sti-eaked Bittern, with long ruffled neck, 

 rose with deliberate flight; perchance hard by in the narrow outlet bounded by 

 tufted stumps of carex, the light-eyed Teal slunk silently from view ; or 

 further on, where the creek widened to a noiseless pool, the little Grebe with 

 rosy breast, dived and sported with restless activity ; close by a group of sober 

 Grey Ducks ; whilst the watchful Paradise Drake basked on the sunny bank 

 above, his beady eyes doubtless commanding a view of a certain snow-grass tus~ 

 sock, under the waving plumes of which, a cup-like nest of down might lie securely 

 hid. Then perhaps amongst the tall feather-tufted tohe-tohe reeds, and saw- 

 edged grass, a pair of Harriers had built their rough, flat-topped home, or 

 floating high above on noiseless wing, alarmed the pyebald Bedbill, that circles 

 round on rapid wing, screeching its clamorous note ; or we might watch the 

 pied Stilt with long pink legs, outstretched rudder dike behind, making for the 

 rush-fringed lagoon, to join its mates in wading near the margin of the pool, 



