THE OOLOGIST 



The Kaiwi 



The Kaiwi is one of New Zealands 

 most interesting birds, being, as to 

 Mr. Jones, a taxidermist of Returia, 

 fairly common in some restricted dis- 

 tricts. However, it is a nocturnal bird 

 with secretive habits. The layman 

 may not know they are about unless 

 by chance he shall come acorss some 

 of their bilings. Their burrows are 

 usually very hard to find unless by 

 chance they are stumbled over, usual- 

 ly, placed in some bank or under the 

 decayed roots of some tree with the 

 especial design of keeping as much 

 bad weather away as possible. They 

 have two kinds of burrows, one for 

 sleeping in, through the day time and 

 one for raising their young. The one 

 that I examined was probably nine or 

 ten feet deep with other subterranean 

 passages. On the outside of the bur- 

 row several little paths could plainly 

 be seen, very probably having been 

 made by the birds on their nightly 

 quest for worms and on following 

 them up I found that they gradually 

 became less and less until they finally 

 disappeared completely, 

 and female Kaiwi with fresh egg 

 which I have recently added to my 

 collection were taken by Mr. Jones on 

 Sept. 24. The burrow was about two 

 feet back among the roots of an old 

 tree which offered plenty of shelter. 

 On removing the old bird from the 

 nest its bill proved something of a 

 weapon and he also found that its 

 hair-like plumage came off very easily. 

 Notice, too, the size of the egg which 

 seems way out of proportion for a 

 bird the size of the Kaiwi to lay. 

 Really the Kaiwi really seems like a 

 monstrosity in bird life with its un- 

 gainly looking appearance seemingly 

 always just about to lose its equilib- 

 rium. Byes that are small and very 

 ineffective at least in the daytime, 

 and with its long spear-like bill with 



nostrils in the tip end. The wings are 

 just noticeable spurs, indistinguish- 

 able unless looked for with the most 

 careful examination probably handed 

 down from the species from which it 

 originated. On looking it up I find 

 that they come from the most ancient 

 family of Epturygedae of which very 

 little is known and having the most 

 ancient lineage of all living birds. 



Unfortunately they are becoming 

 more and more scarce owing to the 

 breaking up of their nests by the Wi- 

 kos and by the importation of weasels 

 into the country which was done sev- 

 eral years ago to try to kill some of 

 the over-abundance of rabbits which 

 were destroying the produce of the 

 country. However, as there are four 

 species of Kaiwi and the New Zealand 

 bird laws are especially adapted for 

 the preservation of bird life, it is 

 hoped that this, one of the queerest, 

 if not the most queer, of our feathered- 

 friends will not become extinct as 

 have so many of its predecessors. 

 R. B. Overington, 

 4606 Seifer St., 

 Frankfort, Pa. 



LATE! 



The Oologist reaches its readers 

 late this issue. The reason being the Ye 

 Editor has been spending three weeks 

 in sunny southern California with the 

 very best mother in all this wide, wide 

 world, who has just passed her 85th 

 birthday, and who during more than 

 50 years past has been a staunch sup- 

 porter of the Editor's bird hobby. 



How I Lost That Set of Four Bafd 

 Eagles 



(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 

 The time approaches when Eagle 

 eggs in this state (Virginia) will be 

 ripe. In looking forward to a visit to 

 the old nesting trees, one wonders if 

 the lumberman's ax, the clearing of 



