55 



at last, whatever might have remained of these clouds of fable, by depositing 

 the nest, entire, in the British Museum ; a feat, the difficulties attending 

 ■which were so well appreciated by all bird-nesters, that there was a report, or 

 tradition, throughout many parts of England, that the authorities of the 

 British Museum had offered a reward of £100 for a perfect nest of the 

 Kingfisher. For a full account of Mr. Gould's exploit, see " Homes without 

 Hands." 



Shakespeare, in " King Lear," and several other writers, allude to the 

 superstitious idea, that, if suspended by a thread from the ceiling, with 

 windows and doors closed, the Kingfisher would turn its bill towards the 

 quarter from whence the wind blew. 



Amongst numerous other virtues, it was supposed to be a protection 

 against thunder, against the ravages of the moth in woollen cloth, to be able 

 to , increase hidden treasure, to bestow grace and beauty on the person who 

 carried it, and enjoyed the power of renewing its plumage, after death, by 

 moulting. 



No. 10. — Prosthemadera Nov^e Zelandi^e, G-ml. 

 Tui. 

 Parson-bird. 



We have but seldom found the nest of this very common bird, whose 

 varied notes break upon the stillness of the bush. Wherever we have met 

 with its nest, it has been rather on the outskirts than in the depth of the bush 

 itself. The Parson-bird seems thoroughly joyous only in the full glow of 

 sunlight, where it may be seen in numbers, darting upwards far above the 

 highest trees, and revelling in its free stretch of wing, now and then playfully 

 pursuing some smaller bird, till it seeks the shelter of a friendly bush. 



We have found the nest from twelve to thirty feet from the ground, and 

 have noticed that whether against a White pine, or Black birch, there has been 

 a sheltering cluster of Rubus, with its sharp, recurved prickles, beneath which 

 the structure has been concealed. We have found it more than once near the 

 top of a Myrsine Urvillei, over which the Rubus has thrown its straggling cords, 

 forming a j:>rickly canopy most difficult to penetrate. The nest, rather large, 

 made of slender sprays intermixed with moss, and the wool or down of Tree- 

 ferns (Cyalhea dealbata), lined with fine bents of Poa grass ; the dimensions we 

 noted of a nest are as follows : across the top, from outside of wall to outside of 

 wall, 9 inches, diameter of cavity, 3 inches 6 lines, with a depth of 2 inches. 

 The eggs, usually three or four in number, are white, or with the slightest 

 tinge of pink, marbled with rust-red veins, most numerous towards the larger 

 end, rather pyriform in shape, they measure 1 inch 2 lines in length, by 10 lines 

 in breadth. The nest containing young is sometimes stained deep purple, from 

 the juice of the Konini berries (Fuchsia excorticata). On one occasion, the 

 young, unable to fly, on being alarmed fluttered out of the nest to the ground, 

 a fall of about twelve feet, the next day they were found safely ensconced 

 within the nest, looking quite happy ; this could only have been effected 

 through the assistance of the parent birds. The Tui is rather combative whilst 

 the young require feeding, even when they can fly well, it may be observed 

 driving away the Kingfisher and Bell-bird from the trees in which its young- 

 are lodged. However much the white-tufted Tui may add to the interest 

 of our forest scenery by the beauty of its glossy plumage, the gaiety which 

 distinguishes its flight, or the wild outburst of its joyful notes, in the eyes 

 of the omnivorous settler, it possesses the higher merit of furnishing a 

 savoury article of food, and no weak sentimental feeling saves it from the 

 camp-oven. It is frequently kept in confinement, and at one time many were 

 sent to the neighbouring colonies. (See Plate 6, Fig. 1). 



