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dog or cat close to its cage; and it has danced backwards and forwards with outstretched wings, 

 evidently with the intention of shamming anger, and has testified its glee at the success of the 

 manoeuvre by the most absurd and grotesque attitudes. One trick especially it has, which it 

 almost invariably uses when pleased ; and that is, to march about with its head twisted round, and 

 its beak in the air— wishing, I suppose, to see hoAv things look the wrong way up ; or, perhaps, it 

 wishes to fancy itself in New Zealand again. The highest compliment it can pay you is to nestle 

 dowm on your hand, ruffle out its feathers, and lower its wings, flapping them alternately, and 

 shaking its head from side to side; when it does this it is in a superlative state of enjoyment, 

 do not think it is quite correct to say that it has dirty habits; certainly it is not worse in this 



respect than an ordinary parrot. 



" I am surprised to find that during the time it was in the Zoological Gardens it very rarely 

 showed itself in the daytime. My experience has been the reverse of this. It has generally 

 been lively enough during the greater part of the day, though not quite so violent and noisy as at 



I had this bird at Saltburn, in Yorkshire, during the summer; and any of your readers 

 who were at that place in the month of August, will remember seeing this bird at the bazaar held 

 in aid of the district church, on which occasion its playfulness never flagged during the whole 

 day. This may partly have been due to excitement at seeing so many strange faces; but it also, 

 no doubt, felt the excellence of the cause (recollect, Sir G. Grey testifies to its cleverness and in- 

 telligence), and exerted itself accordingly to help the Church-building Fund." 



In another account of the habits of the particular bird in his possession, Mr. Sale remarks : 

 " I observe that it rarely makes any noise by day ; but about dusk it usually begins to screech, 

 its object being apparently to attract attention; for if let loose from its cage and allowed to have 

 its usual i^lay, it ceases to make any noise. It also makes a grunting noise when eating, espe- 

 cially if pleased ; and I have myself attracted it to me by imitating the same sound. It also 

 screeches sometimes when handled, not apparently from anger, but more from timidity." In a 

 note he adds : — " The sound of the bird is not a shrill scream, biit a mufiled screech, more like a 

 mingled grunt and screech." 



Dr. Hector found the Kakapo very numerous on the west coast of the Otago Province 

 during his exploration of that country in 1861-62; and his collection of birds, in the Otago 

 Museum, contains many beautiful specimens of it. He succeeded in bringing some live ones to 

 Dunedin ; but although they had become perfectly tame, they did not long survive their confine- 

 ment. As Dr. Hector had good opportunities of studying this bird in its native haunts, I am 

 glad to add the following additional particulars from the pen of so able a naturalist : 



"The name of Owl Parrot is very appropriate, from the aspect of its head and face, as the 

 bill is short and almost buried among feathers and long bristly hah's like the whiskers of a cat. 

 These whiskers, no doubt, are used in the same manner, as delicate feelers for distinguishing 

 objects in the dark, as the Kakapo is strictly nocturnal in its habits — never stirring from the 

 holes and burrows in which it rests during the day until nightfall. They then emerge from the 

 woods to the sides of the rivers; and, as they feed, their harsh screams can be heard at intervals 

 until they return at daybreak to the depths of the forest. Notwithstanding the shortness of 

 their legs and large size of their feet, they run at a good pace, with a waddling duck-like gait ; 

 and though they climb with great facility, and rapidly take to trees when disturbed or pursued, 



F 



