3608 Birds. 



and having eaten a few, he ascended the hillock, picking about the 

 loose grass that lay on its surface, a dry tuft of which he tossed over 

 his shoulder in a kind of indignant manner. 1 should here remark, 

 that those who have the management of the bird thought it best for 

 his health not to moisten the heap of earth, fearing that it might, if 

 too wet, interfere with the delicate organization of his nostrils, in con- 

 sequence therefore of the late hot weather, it had become so exceed- 

 ingly dry, that the worms, if allowed to bury themselves in it, were 

 usually found in the morning dead and shrivelled : this led to the 

 abandonment of the plan of turning them out on it, and the Kiwi there- 

 fore, having, as I suppose, learned from experience the unprofitable 

 nature of his hunting-ground, has given up the practice of boring into 

 it for them, — a thing I was sorry for, as I wished to see him perform 

 that operation. I trust, however, that as on this night the bird showed 

 an evident partiality for water, that not only may the hillock of turf 

 be again moistened, but that he may be daily supplied with as much 

 as he likes to drink. The Apteryx then, after having entertained 

 himself by parading about and sniffling a good deal, retired to his 

 dormitory. 



It then occurred to us all, that it would be as well to see whether 

 the Kiwi-kiwi would like to wash himself: and his keeper, on being 

 summoned, procured a flat pan, which, when filled with water, was 

 introduced into the cage. The noise made by opening and shutting 

 the sliding door, had the effect of making him continue a longer time 

 than usual in seclusion ; but at length he emerged for the third time, 

 and though drinking more copiously, and making a greater noise in 

 the water than before, he never even placed his foot in the bath, nor 

 appeared to wish to do so ; and after making the round of his den in 

 silence (broken only by a series of singular sounds from the Weka, 

 which would lead one to suppose that that restless bird was at last not 

 only sound asleep, as indeed it ought, for it was past 10 o'clock, but 

 snoring), he retired again to the deal box in the corner, not over pleased 

 with the glare of the lantern, I think, which accompanied all his 

 wanderings. However, the nature of all animals is to brave almost 

 anything to appease their hunger, and the Kiwi-kiwi, not having com- 

 pleted his meal, did not prove an exception to the rule : he accord- 

 ingly returned a fourth time to the stage, where he stayed a conside- 

 rable time, chiefly occupying himself with paying attention to the pot 

 of worms ; sundry sharp snaps of the beak at times affording sufficient 

 proof that an unfortunate annelid was bolted, while every now and then, 

 I suppose on the occasion of a worm becoming refractory and getting 



