70 



seems rather to strengthen the view of the species being distinct. It is this : the nestling 

 of the North Island Kaka, as described by myself (op. cit, p. 151), is " covered with soft 

 white down, thinly distributed, and very short on the under-parts ; abdomen entirely bare ; 

 bill whitish-grey, the upper mandible armed near the tip with a white horny point ; cere 

 pale-yellow; legs dull-cinereous." A nestling brought from the West Coast Sounds, and sub- 

 mitted to me as a skin, was covered all over with short slaty-grey down ; cere bright yellow; 

 bill greyish horn-colour; feet brown. These nestlings, therefore, were very different, and they 

 belonged to the two races. 



The difference of colouration under the wings in this mountain form is not a sexual 

 distinction, as has been supposed. I shot two birds in company at Dusky Sound. One of 

 them had this plumage very red and the other of a vivid yellow. On dissection they proved to 

 be both of them females. 



One of the finest specimens in my collection (a male bird) was caught alive near the 

 Hollyford Eiver, in the provincial district of Otago. 



Professor Newton writes* : " Considering the abundance of Parrots, both as species and 

 individuals, and their wide extent over the globe, it is surprising how little is known of their 

 habits in a wild state. Even the species with which Englishmen and their descendants have 

 been more in contact than any other has an almost unwritten history compared with that 

 of many other birds ; and, seeing how many are oppressed by and yielding to man's occupation 

 of their ancient haunts, the extirpation of some is certain, and will probably be accomplished 

 before several interesting and some disputed points in their economy have been decided. 

 The experience of small islands only foreshadows what will happen in tracts of greater extent, 

 though there more time is required to produce the same result ; but, the result being inevitable, 

 those who are favourably placed for observations should neglect no opportunities of making 

 them ere it be too late." And, referring to our bird, he says: "The position of the genus 

 Nestor in the order Psittaci must be regarded as uncertain. Oarrod removed it altogether 

 from the neighbourhood of the Lories, to which, indeed, the structure of its tongue, as previously 

 shown by him, indicates only a superficial resemblance. Like so many other New Zealand 

 forms, Nestor seems to be isolated, and may fairly be deemed to represent a separate family — 

 Nestoridce — a view adopted by Count T. Salvadori ('Cat. B., Brit. Mus.,' xx., Introd., p. viii.), 

 and fully justified by a cursory examination of its osteology, though this has hitherto been 

 only imperfectly described and figured." 



On the occasion of a visit to Stewart Island I obtained from a settler named Jenson a 

 beautiful albino (or fawn-coloured) example of this species. On inquiring how he got it, he 

 explained that, being out in the woods Kaka shooting, he wounded a bird, and, without 

 looking closely at it, he held it down with his foot as a decoy. Its screams attracted a flock 

 of them, and, in quick succession, he shot fifteen. Then he took up his wounded bird and 

 found that it was something out of the common. The specimen was successfully skinned by 

 Marklund, and I rewarded Jensen liberally for saving it. The general plumage is of a delicate 

 fawn-colour, flushed more or less with orange, particularly on the upper wing-coverts, the 

 feathers of the back having darker margins ; ear-coverts orpiment-orange ; the overlapping 

 feathers on the cheeks dark vinous-red ; nuchal collar conspicuous, and of red and orange 

 intermixed ; rump and upper tail-coverts, lining of wings, abdomen, and under tail-coverts 

 arterial red; feathers on the breast and those along inner margin of wings with yellow and 

 red crescents and dark margins ; tail-feathers strongly flushed with reddish-orange. Bill and 

 feet whitish-horn colour. 



* ' Dictionary of Birds,' p. 691. 



