240 Iransactions. — Zoolor/ij. 



favourite food, jumped boldly down. On seeking to return tliey were pre- 

 vented by the overhanging sides of the pit, and in the morning the Maori 

 hunter found them safely trapped. These pits may still be seen on remote 

 ranges ; they formed a fruitful subject for dispute ; and a common claim 

 made by a native in the present Land Courts is, that his ancestors hunted 

 rats over the part under discussion. 



But the Maori species seems to have been a vegetarian, and with him 

 we have no more to do. Our rat on the other hand appears to have but 

 little choice in the article of diet, eating indiscriminately berries and fruit, 

 fish, flesh, offal, and carrion ; eggs they have a special XDredUection for, and 

 some amusing stories are related of their clever theft and adroit removal of 

 these delicacies, under circumstances of unusual difficulty. 



They are exjoert climbers, and any old bushman must have witnessed 

 the celerity with which they run along a small twig or supplejack ; in fact, 

 they appear quite as much at home amongst the tree-tops as in the sewers 

 of London or Paris. In the bush then- numbers are prodigious ; and if a 

 ]party remain at a camp long, they become very bold and troublesome, 

 causing sometimes thoughts of being eaten alive by them, which fate is said 

 to have actually overtaken men in the sewers of Paris. With those tastes, 

 then, coupled with their enterprising disposition and ferocious habits, it can 

 be readily imagined how, after the slaughter of then- Maori brethren, they 

 should direct their attention to robbing birds' nests and eating the young. 



After thus noticing the rats we now come to the birds, which have 

 suffered most from their ravages ; and it is a significant circumstance that, 

 while some birds below a certain size have almost enth'ely disappeared, 

 the larger ones seem to remain as plentiful as ever ; and those of middle 

 size, such as the kokako and tui, although diminished in number, still 

 continue to enliven the forests with their song. This fact points to a 

 defence of their nests, made by the larger bu-ds with success, but doubtful 

 in the case of the middle-sized ones, and depending on the boldness of the 

 rat ; while it would be almost hopeless in the case of the smaller ones. 



Amongst the birds which are becoming scarce, the first we shall notice 

 is the kokako, a brown bkd somewhat larger than a tui, with a bluish 

 tinge about the head and throat ; it has a long- di-awn note, somewhat nasal, 

 but very melodious withal, and which harmonized well with a full chorus of 

 bu'ds ; but this is now seldom heard. 



The appearance of the tui must be so familiar to all as to need no 

 further notice than a simple mention of the fact, that their numbers are 

 sadly thinned within the last twenty years. 



Amongst the birds which have altogether disappeared, we must include 

 the bell-bu'd (korimako) and robin (pitoitoi). The former seemed to be 



