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The White Heron occurs so sparingly in most parts o± JNew Zealand, that rare as tne J^otuKu 

 has passed into a proverb among the Maoris ; while in the North Island it is said to occur only 

 once in a life-time (He Kotuku rerenga tahi). 



Subsisting almost entirely on eels and small freshwater fish, it frequents the sedgy shores of 

 lagoons and the banks of tidal streams ; but it sometimes resorts also to the open sea-beach, where 



I have myself shot it. 



It is very interesting to watch this stately bird stalking about in its haunts, or fishing in the 



shallow water, its snow-white plumage rendering it a very conspicuous object. I have always 



found it very shy and difficult to approach, the slightest sound exciting its suspicion and making 



It flies high and in wide circles, the wings performing sIoav and regular flappings, 



the head being drawn in upon the shoulders, and the legs trailing behind. 



ery interesting note, under date of April 17, 



1872: 



West 



it take wing. 



Mr. Fox has sent me the following \ 



White 



ast 1 There is a regular colony of them ; they build and breed in the trees (white pine, 

 I believe) above the river or creek, a few miles (say half a dozen) from the sea. My informant, 

 who was the discoverer, Moeller, Hokitika surveyor, counted 65 on first visit. I did not get up 



# 



the river so far, but saw a dozen sitting in trees lower down the creek. Many years ago I saw 

 numbers of them at Tokomairiro, Otago, where now they are, I believe, extinct. The Okarita 



' Cranery ' is, I suspect, nearly the last ; at least no other is known I have been spending 



two months on the West Coast, Middle Island, and exploring Mount Cook and its glaciers, which 

 are equal in beauty to those of Switzerland. It is a pity the Alpine Club does not send out some 

 of its members to explore the grand scenery of our Southern Alps." 



Potts, who has since visited this locality, states that one of the breeding-stations is 



Mr 



Waitan 



H 



found about twenty-five nests there, placed on trees overhanging the water, at elevations varying 

 from eight to forty feet, and in close association with those of the White-throated Shag, the 

 latter being five or six times as numerous, often forming complete clusters around the larger 

 structures occupied by the White Heron ; these were coarsely built of sticks, placed in such a 

 manner as to form a strong platform, above which was a layer of smaller sticks, but without any 



structure 



about seventeen inches in diameter. The eggs are 

 usually three, but often four, in number, of a pale green colour, rather elliptical in form, and 

 measuring 2*2 inches in length by 1*6 in breadth. 



White 



Mr 



doubt right in considering the Okarita Heronries very nearly, if not actually, the last of their kind. 



