84 



hole after a busli fire, in which it had perished i-ather than desert its helpless 

 offspring, yet, fiom the nature of the locality, escaj)e would have been easy. 



The summer time is occupied by the cares of providing for and protecting 

 the young ; after they are old enough to shift for themselves, as autumn 

 advances, the Kaka usually becomes very fat ; as it is considered savoury 

 food, great niimbers are annually destroyed. It is in winter time that it 

 appears to the greatest disadvantage, especially during a severe winter in our 

 Southern climate, when the bush is metamorphosed with fantastic snow- 

 wreaths, it seems out of character with the scene ; food mtiy be scarce, for 

 with ruiSed feathers it sits moping and nearly silent, a picture of dull 

 melancholy. Towards the close of winter (August) we have known it devour 

 with avidity the hard seed of the kowliai (Sojjhora tetraptera) ; at this period 

 gardens and shrubberies are visited, and blossoms of almond trees and flowering 

 shrubs eagerly ransacked ; as winter jDasses away with its coarse fare, returning 

 spring restores the Kaka's spi-ightliness, and he begins to fare daintily. In 

 September we have observed it poised on the slender bough of some tall 

 Panax, luxuriating on the viscid nectar of its blossoms ; happy enough it looks 

 when thus seen through some opening in the bush, its deep red breast-feathers 

 lit up by the slanting rays of the declining sun ; sated at last, it cleanses its 

 huge beak against a neighbouring boiigh, then, with grateful chatter, glides off. 

 to join its fellows. 



Insects form no inconsiderable portion of its food, how diligently they are 

 sought for may be judged from the heaps of bark chips that lie beneath 

 decaying trees ; often it may be noticed on the ground tearing away the 

 mossy clothing of the huge gnarled roots that spread around, even the soft 

 rotten boughs are gnawed to obtain the larvae of some of the larger bush 

 insects. Not only does it regale on flowers and insect food ; in the Fagus 

 forests, in the bark of the black birch trees may be found a dull red fleshy- 

 looking grub, tightly embedded in the hard bark, quite beneath the black 

 velvety moss that wraps the Fagus like a pall ; the wound made by this 

 unsightly insect causes in spring time a sweet honey-like exudation, most 

 frequently taking the form of a fine white filament, terminating in a small 

 bright globule, glistening like a dewdrop ; glancing upwards, the tall straight- 

 grown stem apjoears spangled with midtitudes of these bright threaded beads. 

 This is a favourite feeding ground of several arboreals. The varied modes of 

 locomotion employed form an interesting study, leading to enquiry and 

 reflection upon their structure, their muscular and osseous systems, thus 

 opening out a wide field for physiological observation. Of these hungry 

 climbers the robust-framed Kaka occupies the foremost rank for size, its hold 

 on the bole of the tree is secure, its movements deliberate, whilst its thick 

 tongue is actively employed in gathering the honey-sweet meal. 



The Kaka is easily snared, and very soon becomes tame if allowed liberty 



