Birch. 3417 



I may here mention the highly amusing scene which occurs when 

 the keeper places his open hand upon the lower part of the bird's back, 

 and gently pushes him forward, to bring him better into view. Kiwi- 

 kiwi does not think of turning upon his assailant, but holding himself 

 more upright than ever, pushes backwards with a force altogether un- 

 equal to that used against him, and serving only to give a more steady 

 purchase to his adversary, so that he is obliged to advance with little, 

 reluctant steps, occasionally interrupted by a stamp, for he has not 

 time to make a full stroke whilst his centre of gravity requires such 

 constant attention. 



When he has been exposed for some time, during which, if he has 

 not been approached too closely, he has probably maintained a sullen 

 inaction, he begins to move his head and beak, which last he uses like 

 the antennae of an insect or the nose of a quadruped, but not exactly 

 like either. He does not steadily scent about like a quadruped, but 

 moves his beak from place to place, touching some substance or other, 

 and then stopping for an instant, apparently to get the smell; perhaps 

 not unlike a cat in a strange room, only that the bird does not seem to 

 take a second or prolonged smell at the same object. In fact, his 

 mode of proceeding is, as far as I kuow, quite peculiar and original. 

 So he pokes his beak through the straw in various places, touches the 

 ground and dwells a moment upon it, and repeats the process until, 

 perhaps, in some part, his whole beak is buried, and this being hidden, 

 his whiskers and small eyes give his furry-looking little head very 

 much the appearance of that of a quadruped. He will then take a 

 sudden rush, forcing his body head-foremost horizontally under the 

 straw with the rapidity of flight, his legs alternately pushing behind 

 him, with the joints in such positions and states of flexion as those of 

 a quadruped would assume under the same circumstances. As, for 

 instance, in the leg which happens at the moment to be hindmost, 

 when the toes are on the ground, the femoro-tibial joint may be nearly 

 on the same level, whilst the intermediate tarso-tibial forms an angle 

 Considerably above it. If there is plenty of cover he stops when he 

 is quite concealed, but if the straw is scanty, he will work on even 

 once round his box, or further. Should a bystander press down the 

 straw before his beak, so as to defeat his purpose of plunging in at that 

 point, he manifests great determination in attempting it elsewhere. I 

 have not been able to make out that he ever lies under his straw, un* 

 less he has been previously disturbed. 



One day he placed his beak on the door of the box which is let 

 down upon the floor, tried it in different places, and stepped out upon 

 x. p 



