54 ) 



them, the Maoris brought the head and neck to Wanganui (in the flesh) for identification, 

 but unfortunately left the body, which was soon devoured by the pigs. 



The head and neck, carefully skinned by Mr. Drew, the curator of the Museum, came 

 into my possession some years later; and this specimen (although fragmentary) is interesting 

 as demonstrating the actual occurrence of this noble species in New Zealand, and entitling 

 it to a place in our list. The whole of the plumage on the preserved parts is creamy 

 white, most of the feathers having paler tips. The bill measures : from base of forehead to 

 end of hook, 17'5 in. ; along the edge of lower mandible, 18*25 in. ; greatest width (at base) 

 2' 75 in. ; width of middle portion, 1*5 in. Its present colour (dried) is yellowish-horn, shaded 

 with dusky brown towards the tip of upper, and in the outer half of, lower mandible 

 (probably blue in life) ; hook, at the extremity, lemon yellow. A bare space, half an inch 

 wide, in front of and below the eyes. The pouch is, unfortunately, absent. 



Of this fine species Mr. Gould writes : "It is abundant in all the rivers and inlets of 

 the sea, both in Tasmania and on the Continent of Australia. I shot specimens on Green 

 Island, in D'Entrecasteaux Channel, and I also met with it in abundance in South Port 

 River. Owing to the advance of colonisation it had become scarce in the Derwent and 

 Tamar when I visited Tasmania, but it may still breed on the small group called Stanners 

 Bay Islands, lying off the south-western land of Flinders Island, in Bass's Strait." 



Order ACCIPITEIFOEMES.l 



[Family FALCONDm 



CIRCUS GOULDI 



(GOULD'S HAEEIEE.) 



Circus gouldi, Bonap. ; Buller, Birds of New Zealand, vol. L, p. 206. 



Although the Bush Hawk has almost entirely disappeared from all the settled districts, 

 the Harrier maintains its ground, and is extremely abundant on some of the sheep- 

 runs. Indeed, this species appears to be steadily increasing, notwithstanding the numbers 

 that are annually and, as I think, very unwisely, destroyed by sheep-farmers. One reason 

 for this, no doubt, is that they are not preyed upon by the introduced pests. On the contrary, 

 they do not hesitate to attack stoats and ferrets when they have the chance. Judge Grill 

 told me of a combat which he witnessed between a Harrier and a stoat, in which the latter 

 was eventually killed, although the Hawk found it too heavy to carry away with him. 



In his ' History of Mankind ' Batzel tells us that, with the Kaffirs, " he who kills 

 a Hawk must be put to death." This would no doubt be too drastic a punishment ; but our 

 sapient legislators would do well to protect this useful bird by enacting a penalty of some 

 sort for its wilful destruction, as indeed one of the acclimatisation societies in the South 

 Island has already had the prescience to do. I am of opinion that the Harrier has done 

 more towards suppressing the rabbit nuisance in New Zealand than all the bloodthirsty 

 carnivora, such as weasels, stoats and ferrets, introduced by the Government, put together. 

 Such birds should be protected in every way and not be poisoned or shot, as is done in 

 many parts of the country, from a mistaken notion that they are the enemies of the sheep, 

 That the Harrier does occasionally, under press of hunger, kill and devour a newly-born or 



