Order PASSERIFORMES.] 



[Family GLAUCOPIDiE. 



GLAUCOPIS WILSON I. 



(BLUE-WATTLED CROW.) 



Glaucopis wilsoni, Bonap. ; Buller, Birds of New Zealand, vol. L, p. 1. 



HWi 



V 



I 



My first knowledge of this bird was derived, some Rye and fifty years ago, through a young- 

 Maori coming into the Mission station, at Tangiteroria, with a bright blue wattle glued 

 upon each of his dusky cheeks. From that moment, of course, I never rested till I had 

 made the acquaintance of the bird which was then, as now, extremely rare in the far 

 north. My first four specimens (two of each sex) came from the Tangihua Mountains, that 

 succession of wooded ranges standing up, blue and distinct, far away to the rear of the 

 Wairoa River. I was at that time a lad of twelve, and had accompanied my brother 

 Martin to a boarding school in Auckland — in those days a somewhat formidable journey 

 by water and by land. A devoted mother who had never skinned a bird before, succeeded, 

 with infinite trouble, in converting the birds into four beautiful cabinet specimens, and they 

 were put aside to gladden the heart of her boy on his return home for the summer vacation, 

 then approaching. I recall this trivial circumstance with deep filial appreciation, because 

 I am convinced that this early influence had a powerful effect in shaping my subsequent 

 life and attaching me to a pursuit which, in the intervals of a very active judicial and 

 professional life, has yielded me unspeakable pleasure. 



When, some j^ears later, I moved to the Wellington province, I came into the home 

 of the Kokako, heard with delight its rich organ -note, and obtained as many specimens as 

 I wanted; for in 1854 it was a comparatively common bird in the thick forest surrounding 

 Wellington and filling the valley of the Hutt. From these districts, with the destruction 

 of the native bush, it has long since disappeared; but it may yet be occasionally seen and 

 heard in the wooded Tararua and Rimutaka ranges, especially at the back of the Otaki 

 district. 



Owing to these early associations I, not unnaturally, formed a special affection for this 

 beautiful bird. And my interest in the species, as I came to study it, with a maturer know- 

 ledge of the subject, increased rather than diminished. It is a matter of keen regret to me, 

 as it must be to every true naturalist, that this is one of the endemic species destined ere 

 long to vanish from the land. 



This bird is becoming very rare, however, in localities where formerly it abounded. During . 

 an expedition into the Tararua ranges, extending over three days, I met with only one, a fine 

 adult male, which I had no difficulty in shooting, as the bird is not shy. It made a beautiful 

 cabinet specimen, although soon after death the rich mazarine-blue faded out of the wattles, 

 and they became black as the skin dried. My son, Mr. Leo Buller, has the following note 

 in an old diary : " While out pig-hunting on the ranges near Whangarei, on January 15th, 

 I found a Kokako's nest, which contained two young birds. These made their escape from 

 the nest, but the dog caught them, killing one in the operation. I endeavoured to 

 keep the other alive in a cage, but it moped and died." 



"Honge" is the name by which it is known to the Waikato tribes; but it has always 

 been a rare bird in that district. 



