Gl 



situation appears to be behind such protuberances as are to be found on the 

 huge gnarled trunk of Griselinia litoralis, very often not more than three feet 

 from the ground. Eggs, three or four in number, are dullish-white, with 

 reddish marks, principally at the larger end. 



No. 34. — Anthus Nov^e Zelandi^e, Gml. 

 Pihoihoi. 

 Lark. 



This well-known bird appears to be common all over the country • it 

 builds on the ground, making its nest of grass, usually screened by a tussock. 

 The eggs, five in number, are greyish-white, speckled over with dark-grey ; 

 sometimes a set of eggs may be noticed very much mottled over with brown, 

 ovoiconical in form, measuring 10 J? lines in length, by a breadth of 

 8 lines. We have an egg, very much smaller and darker than any others 

 we have yet observed. In February, 1868, a pair made them nest within six 

 inches of a shrubbery walk, and reared their young successfully, although so 

 frequently disturbed, — the old bird invariably quitted the nest on its being 

 approached. When a Harrier wheels round, and appears about to settle, 

 Larks may often be observed, in numbers, gathering together with a 

 chirping note, moving restlessly, sometimes with a short flight, watching and 

 following the movements of their enemy. 



Probably it is attempting to rid itself from the persecution of some 

 parasitic vermin, when this bird is frequently observed to indulge in a dust- 

 bath. It bas a habit of keeping its insect prey in its beak for a long time, 

 before it is devoured, or carried off to its nest. At last shearing time, two 

 Larks, almost albinos, made their appearance, daily, about the yards of a 

 wool-shed, on the Waikerukini. 



Note. — In August, a nest was brought to the Wellington Museum, 

 which contained several tufts of moss, but not neatly interwoven, Like the 

 workmanship of a bird that builds its nest principally of moss. 



No. 35. — Zosterops lateralis, Lath. 

 Tauhou. 

 Blight-bird. 



We first noticed this bird on some Fagus trees in the Rockwood Valley, 

 Malvern Hills, July 28th, 1856. Its numbers, since then, have increased with 

 great rapidity. It very soon obtained the name of the Blight -bird, in recognition 

 of its services to gardens and orchards, from its habit of feeding on the American 

 blight, with which apple trees in this colony are so generally infested ; but, 

 although the gardener noticed with satisfaction its labours in this direction, 

 during the winter months, yet as summer returned and fruits ripened, its 

 incessant depredations on cherries and plums were witnessed with anything 

 but pleasure. From examining scores of nests, we find that out of a 

 considerable variety of materials made use of, moss and grass predominate ; 

 the fabric is strong, although frequently slight, in some cases the walls are 

 extremely thin ; it is usually suspended, at the sides, by fastenings bound 

 securely over slender twigs ; some are almost wholly constructed of grass, 

 amongst which, now and then, may be found a few small tufts of the grey-beard 

 moss, in others the cottony down of plants is neatly interwoven with moss and 

 spiders' webs, lined with fibres, or fine stems of grass, sometimes with hair ; 

 some nests are quite shallow, others of deep cup-like form (See Plate 5, Fig. 3), 

 and measure in diameter 3 inches, cavity 1 inch 6 lines to 2 inches, depth 

 10 lines to 2 inches. In gardens, it has been observed placed in a great 

 variety of shrubs, occasionally in a rose-bush bordering a well-frequented walk ; 



