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 Portrait 



361 



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 lich 



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number, 

 died, I 



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labit. In 

 caught by 

 :d Manga- 

 still to be 

 he country 



less than 

 ch appears 

 r were very 

 ccording to 

 fnt day they 

 : a fact has 

 the natives, 

 ned several 



o^iving the 



:om time to 

 ^ who stated 



] some fifty 



Kiwi, only 

 mains coiled 

 id seeks the 

 [e of repose- 



itself in th« 

 •n- and the 



^^ ' t fall of 

 ■ctreattii^' 



ader bill, and 



.;th the 1«»" 

 ;Uich often 



\ 





■1 



attains a length of 12, and sometimes 20 inches, with a proportionate thickness, emits at night a 

 bright phosphoric light. The mucous matter which adheres to its body appears to be charged 

 with the phosphorus ; and on its being disturbed or irritated the whole surface of the worm is 

 illumined with a bright green light, sufficiently strong to render adjacent objects distinctly visible. 

 Seizing one of these large worms in its long mandibles, the Kiwi proceeds to kill it by striking 

 it rapidly on the ground or against some hard object. During this operation the bird may be 

 clearly seen under the phosphoric light ; and the slime which attaches itself to the bill and head 

 renders these parts highly phosphorescent, so that, even after the luminous body itself has been 

 swallowed, the actions of the bird are still visible. There is no longer the slow and half stupid 

 movement of the head and neck ; but the bill is darted forward with a restless activity, and 

 travels over the surface of the ground with a continued sniffing sound, as if the bird were 

 guided more by scent than by sight in its search for food." 



The subject of this notice having afterwards died, I sent the skeleton (skilfully prepared by 

 Dr. Knox) to Professor Newton, of Cambridge ; and it now occupies a place of honour in the 



Museum 



Wan 



natives in October 1870 : — 



" The lot consists of two adult males, one young male, three adult females, and two young 

 birds of doubtful sex. One of the females has the plumage very much faded and worn, resem- 

 bling somewhat that of the Australian Emu, the tips of the feathers having, as it were, a weather- 

 beaten appearance. The old birds are shy, always attempting to hide themselves from view, but 

 very vicious when taken hold of: they struggle violently and utter a low growling note, accom- 

 panied by a vigorous striking movement of the feet. The young birds are particularly savage, 

 and instead of running away they charge you in the most plucky manner, using their feet as 

 weapons of offence : when provoked they manifest their anger by an audible snapping of the bill ; 

 and at other times they emit a peculiar chuckle, not unlike that of a brood-hen when disturbed 

 on her nest. I have only once heard these captives produce the loud whistling cry which is 

 so familiar to the ear in the wild mountain-haunts of the Kiwi. The birds occupy at present an 

 empty stall in my stable, and they find both concealment and warmth by burying themselves in 

 a heap of loose straw. During the day they remain coiled up in the form of an almost perfectly 

 round ball, with the head and bill hidden beneath the dense hair-like plumage of the body, 

 hungry, however, they will sometimes wander about in a desultory manner, probing or touching 

 every object with their bills. They often huddle together when at rest, lying one upon another 

 like little pigs ; and when sound asleep no amount of noise will rouse them. On being thrust 

 with a stick, or rudely wakened, they move about in a drowsy inert manner, and soon relapse into 

 a state of apparent lethargy. They have naturally a peculiar earthy smell ; and the place in which 

 they are confined has acquired a very perceptible odour. On taking my dog to a spot in the 

 o-arden where the Kiwis had been probing for worms on the previous day, he took up the scent 

 very readily, and followed it without any check. I am informed by old Kiwi-hunters that the 

 bird is easily ' brought to earth,' and captured by dogs accustomed to the work, and that in 

 former times a hundred or more have been taken in this way in the course of a single night. 



If 



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