I 



■^ 



Jieir 





8tTV>' 



uf 



>ly defined 



h 



^table matter in 

 ^le of the 



'" '; and of a 

 ^t of the bird, 



i which district 

 a Her.'_:and 

 U ; but I haye 

 ugh I hare an 

 d a pair at the 

 of the coetry 

 lorth Cape, and 

 le are the only 

 t range to say, it 

 the first to 



^ • >ptl, in corn- 

 apparently veij 



und it on 



151 



residence in the woods he had almost daily opportunities of verifying his observations regarding 



this very curious fact. 



Active in all its movements, it seldom remains more than a few seconds in one position, but 

 darts through the branches or climbs the boles of the trees, performing the ascent by a succession 

 of nimble hops, and often spirally. It is naturally a noisy bird, and when excited or alarmed 

 becomes very clamorous, hurrying through the woods with cries of " tiaki-rere," quickly repeated. 

 At other times it has a scale of short flute-notes, clear and musical ; but the most remarkable 

 exhibition of its vocal powers takes place during the breeding-season, when the male performs to 

 his mate in a soft strain of exquisite sweetness. This love-song is heard only on a near approach, 

 and it is at first difficult to believe that so clamorous a bird could be capable of such tender 



strains. 



Captain Hutton discovered the nest of this species on the Little Barrier Island. It was 



situated about two feet down the hollow stem of a dead tree-fern that had been broken off at the 

 top, and from which he saw a Saddle-back emerge. The nest was roughly composed of stems of 

 Hymenoiyhyllum and dead fibres of nikau {Areca sapida), and lined with the fine papery bark of 

 the Le;ptospermum ; and it contained three eggs, which, at the time they were found (De- 

 cember 27), had been slightly sat upon. One of these specimens was kindly forwarded to me 

 by Captain Hutton; it measures 1-4 inch in length by 1 in breadth, and is white, marked and 

 spotted, especially at the thicker end, with purplish brown of different shades. 



I was informed by an intelligent Maori that this bird is accustomed to repair, for many 

 successive seasons, to the cavity in which it has once reared its brood, and that, although the 

 number of eggs is generally three, he has occasionally found a nest containing four. 



) 



both 



nn 



r in 



and in *^^ 

 manyP^ 



) 



the 



edbyhi^ 



bush 



^ there 



• but 

 was 





jt wei^ 



mon 



tbs 



x2 



