14 



BIKl) UALLEllV. 



Tlie legs and feet are very stout and the claws long, curved, and sharp- 

 pointed. 



The four or five known species are all natives of New Zealand. They 

 are nocturnal birds and sleep during the day in some secluded retreat in 

 burrows in the ground or under tree-roots ; in the dusk they are lively 

 enough, creeping quietly about in search of worms, insects, and berries, 

 for. which they hunt with a continual sniffing sound, much like that 

 made by a hedgehog. Though formerly common at low elevations, they 

 are now chiefly met with on the slopes of the mountains, where the 

 dense undergrowth affords them some protection from their enemies. 

 Though found in small flocks at certain seasons of the year, they 

 separate off in pairs in the breeding-season. The nest is merely an 

 enlarged space at the end of a burrow, lined with dry fern and herbage, 

 and contains one or two very large white eggs, enormous compared with 

 the size of the bird, and equal to about a quarter of its weight. The 

 male performs most, if not all, of the duties of incubation. The loud 

 whistling note, from whence the name Kiwi is derived, is chiefly 

 uttered on bright nights. The Maories greatly esteem the flesh of these 

 birds, and the systematic way in which they are hunted must sooner or 

 later end in their extermination. 



A. mantelli (21), inhabiting the North Island, A. australis (22) 

 [PI. I.], a smaller form from the South Island, and A. lawryi, of 

 Stewart Island, are streaked species ; while A. oweni (23) and A. haasti 

 (24), occurring in both the North and South Islands, belong to a 

 differently marked group, with the feathers transversely marked with 

 blackish bars. 



Order VII. TIN AMI FORMES. 



[Central 

 table- 

 case.] 



Family TinamidjE. Tinamous. 



The Tinamous are sometimes placed at the end of the subclass of 

 Carinate Birds, the sternum being provided with a keel, while all the 

 members are capable of flight ; but they agree so well in their other 

 osteological characters with the Struthious group that they are here 

 included in the same subclass. 



The Tinamous are Partridge-like birds inhabiting Mexico and Central 

 and South America, and vary in size from species as large as a Fowl 

 to birds no larger than a Quail. The bill is rather long and generally 

 somewhat curved, the head small, the neck long and rather thin, the 

 wings short and rounded, and the tail-feathers greatly abbreviated and 

 more or less concealed by the upper tail-coverts, from which in many 

 cases they are hardly distinguishable. Most of the genera possess four 

 toes, the hind toe or hallux being generally developed. Powder-down 



