316 Transactions. — Zoology. 



almost no kaka^s, and they Lave never been so numerous since. I liave 

 often tried to account for this sudden increase and as sudden decrease, but 

 have only succeeded in maldng guesses which were dismissed almost as soon 

 as discussed. On the east coast of the province it may be said this parrot 

 has all but disappeared now ; I have not seen one alive for years. Mr. 

 Murison writes me: — " The beginning of 1861 was the greatest season for 

 kakas I ever knew. I was then living in the Waikouaiti district, and for a 

 time the birds became quite a pest to the settlers. They have not made 

 their appearance in numbers since." 



The beautiful New Zealand pigeon (Carpophaga 7iov(B-zealanclice ) is a bird 

 which we must all regret has almost passed away. It is rare, indeed, to 

 see it anywhere even in places which used to be its favourite haunt. The 

 patches of low evergreen bush in which the fuchsia tree flourishes, near 

 Dunedin and along the seaboard, were the places where the pigeon loved to 

 dwell, and where they could always be obtained in the early days. No 

 settler then need ever want for a rich supper, and the poor pigeons were 

 slaughtered somewhat indiscriminately. It used to be a common recipe 

 amongst early settlers, that it took fourteen pigeons and one kaka parrot to 

 make good soup. After making every allowance, however, for this whole- 

 sale slaughter, I am inclined to think that it does not wholly account for 

 the almost total disapperaance of the pigeon. Naturalists are aware that 

 though the order Columbce is cosmopoUtan in its range, yet the Australian 

 region is richer in it than any other zoological area in the world, possessing 

 nearly double the genera and species of any other region. This is accounted 

 for by the fact that it is, to a large extent, an insular region, and has no 

 monkeys or other arboreal quadrupeds which feed largely on eggs or young 

 birds, the iDigeon being a bird that builds a rude exposed nest, and whose 

 young remain defenceless for a long time. This, I think, gives us the key 

 to the disappearance of our pigeon, viz., that it is to the great increase in 

 domestic and wild cats that we are indebted in a large measure for the 

 change. 



The quail (Cotumix novcB-zealandice) is another native bkd, extremely 

 plentiful in the open grass lauds in the early days, but now so rare as to be 

 valuable as a museum specimen. It is really difficult now to realize how 

 plentiful these birds were. You could not walk far in the country, especially 

 if you had a dog at your foot, without raising one here and another there. 

 Dogs seemed to take to hunting them naturally, and made sad havoc 

 amongst them, for they could not at any time fly far. Shepherds and 

 flockmasters found it a very difficult thing to train young sheep-dogs 

 aright, for in spite of no end of thrashing, when a young dog was sent out 

 after sheep the temptation was too great for him, and " he would go 



