﻿Qli 
  Transact 
  lu7is.-~-Zuoloffij, 
  

  

  then 
  tuvned 
  its 
  lieail 
  uortliwards 
  again. 
  A 
  v/eok 
  or 
  two 
  lator 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  

  

  near 
  tlie 
  mouth 
  of 
  tlio 
  Manawaui 
  Eiver, 
  and 
  carried 
  inland 
  to 
  Foxton. 
  It 
  

  

  commemorated 
  its 
  arrival 
  by 
  swallowing 
  some 
  ducklings 
  and 
  chickens. 
  It 
  

  

  was 
  then 
  passed 
  on 
  to 
  a 
  settler 
  " 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  bush," 
  where 
  it 
  killed 
  and 
  

  

  devoured 
  a 
  well-grown 
  pullet. 
  I 
  arrived 
  just 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  being 
  

  

  sacrificed 
  to 
  the 
  anger 
  of 
  the 
  good 
  housewife. 
  Thence 
  it 
  was 
  deported 
  by 
  

  

  coach 
  to 
  Wellington, 
  making 
  its 
  escape 
  on 
  the 
  Manawatu 
  sands, 
  <?« 
  route, 
  

  

  and 
  detaining 
  Her 
  Majesty's 
  mails 
  while 
  being 
  recaptured. 
  After 
  keeping 
  

  

  the 
  bird 
  caged 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  I 
  turned 
  it 
  loose 
  in 
  the 
  garden, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  

  

  remained 
  for 
  upwards 
  of 
  six 
  months 
  without 
  any 
  attempt 
  to 
  get 
  away. 
  

  

  Christened 
  "Peter" 
  by 
  the 
  children, 
  he 
  has 
  become 
  quite 
  tame 
  and 
  

  

  familiar, 
  answering 
  to 
  his 
  name 
  and 
  taking 
  food 
  from 
  the 
  hand. 
  He 
  has 
  

  

  selected 
  a 
  sunny 
  spot 
  on 
  high 
  ground,' 
  as 
  an 
  outlook 
  station 
  by 
  day 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  

  

  sleeping-place 
  by 
  night. 
  He 
  wanders 
  over 
  the 
  place 
  freely, 
  looking 
  for 
  

  

  worms 
  and 
  grubs, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  seeks 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  some 
  

  

  bushy 
  shrub. 
  Ho 
  is 
  almost 
  omnivorous, 
  but 
  gives 
  the 
  preference 
  to 
  fish 
  

  

  and 
  meat. 
  On 
  a 
  dead 
  bird 
  being 
  offered 
  him 
  he 
  runs 
  off 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  beak, 
  

  

  then 
  holding 
  it 
  down 
  with 
  his 
  feet, 
  plucks 
  the 
  feathers 
  off 
  and 
  devours 
  the 
  

  

  flesh. 
  On 
  throwing 
  him 
  a 
  blight-bird 
  [Zosterops 
  lati'valU) 
  he 
  bolted 
  it, 
  

  

  feathers 
  and 
  all. 
  His 
  capacity 
  for 
  swallowing 
  fish 
  is 
  something 
  astonishing, 
  

  

  his 
  crop 
  becoming 
  greatly 
  distended. 
  He 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  regurgitating 
  his 
  

  

  food, 
  and 
  will 
  sometimes 
  reproduce 
  from 
  his 
  throat 
  a 
  bone 
  of 
  marvellous 
  

  

  size, 
  the 
  wonder 
  being 
  how 
  he 
  over 
  managed 
  to 
  swallow 
  it. 
  Although 
  not 
  

  

  habitually 
  a 
  nocturnal 
  bird, 
  he 
  sometimes 
  gets 
  very 
  excited 
  after 
  dark, 
  

  

  hurrying 
  about 
  the 
  garden 
  with 
  outstretched 
  wings 
  and 
  uttering 
  a 
  peculiar 
  

  

  cry 
  as 
  if 
  being 
  suffocated. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  ho 
  emits 
  at 
  intervals 
  a 
  note 
  like 
  

  

  the 
  crowing 
  of 
  a 
  pheasant. 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  Peter 
  is 
  noiseless, 
  except 
  when 
  

  

  quarrelling 
  with 
  the 
  sea-gull 
  or 
  disputing 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  bone 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  dog, 
  when 
  helms 
  a 
  short 
  peevish 
  note, 
  quickly 
  repeated. 
  His 
  first 
  encounter 
  

  

  with 
  a 
  tame 
  cockatoo 
  in 
  the 
  garden 
  was 
  quite 
  ludicrous. 
  He 
  first 
  played 
  

  

  the 
  rule 
  of 
  assailant, 
  but 
  the 
  moment 
  his 
  opponent 
  erected 
  his 
  crest, 
  Peter 
  

  

  quailed 
  and 
  ran 
  away. 
  After 
  this 
  they 
  established 
  friendly 
  relations 
  with 
  

  

  each 
  other, 
  often 
  basking 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  drinking 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  

  

  fountain. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  mentioned 
  before 
  that 
  this 
  capture 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  known 
  instance 
  of 
  

   the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Skua 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Island. 
  I 
  have 
  lately, 
  

   however, 
  met 
  with 
  another 
  on 
  the 
  West 
  Coast. 
  Travelling 
  by 
  coach 
  we 
  found 
  

   one, 
  apparently 
  a 
  fine 
  male 
  in 
  fall 
  plumage, 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  beach, 
  not 
  far 
  

   from 
  the 
  Otaki 
  river. 
  He 
  was 
  evidently 
  worn 
  out 
  with 
  fatigue, 
  and 
  would 
  

   not 
  rise 
  till 
  the 
  coach 
  was 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  of 
  him 
  ; 
  then 
  rising 
  with 
  a 
  

   slow 
  and 
  laboured 
  flight, 
  he 
  proceeded 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  yards 
  and 
  alighted 
  

  

  