﻿Menzies. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Ked. 
  377 
  

  

  These 
  birds, 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  ranges, 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  localities, 
  but 
  appear 
  to 
  migrate 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place 
  in 
  small 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  a 
  score. 
  Shepherds 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  

   charge 
  of 
  sheep 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  ranges 
  in 
  Southland, 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  Keas 
  

   attack 
  sheep 
  even 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  being 
  gathered 
  or 
  driven 
  along, 
  

   invariably 
  selecting 
  fat 
  sheep 
  as 
  the 
  objects, 
  and 
  one 
  particular 
  point 
  of 
  

   attack. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  shepherds 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  

   alert, 
  they. 
  disappear 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  again 
  seen 
  for 
  days 
  or 
  even 
  weeks 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  locality. 
  

  

  They 
  suppose 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  formerly 
  fed 
  chiefly 
  on 
  berries 
  and 
  the 
  

   large 
  white 
  grubs 
  abounding 
  in 
  mossy 
  vegetation 
  on 
  the 
  hills; 
  and 
  that 
  

   after 
  the 
  country 
  was 
  stocked 
  they, 
  first 
  by 
  feeding 
  on 
  maggots 
  and 
  insects 
  

   on 
  dead 
  sheep, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  animals, 
  acqiiired 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  

   taste 
  for 
  meat, 
  but 
  also 
  a 
  discrimination 
  of 
  the 
  choice 
  parts. 
  By-and-bye 
  

   they 
  attacked 
  living 
  sheep, 
  alighting 
  on 
  their 
  backs, 
  where 
  their 
  powerful- 
  

   hooked 
  upper 
  mandible 
  enabled 
  them 
  quickly 
  to 
  tear 
  open 
  the 
  skin, 
  and 
  

   gain 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  fat 
  about 
  the 
  kidneys, 
  for 
  which 
  delicacy 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  particular 
  rehsh; 
  after 
  tearing 
  away 
  and 
  consuming 
  the 
  kidney-fat 
  of 
  

   one, 
  they 
  flit 
  away 
  to 
  attack 
  another 
  victim. 
  

  

  On 
  some 
  runs 
  the 
  loss 
  from 
  this 
  cause 
  is 
  considerable. 
  The 
  sheep 
  that 
  

   have 
  been 
  wounded 
  but 
  yet 
  have 
  been 
  strong 
  enough 
  eventually 
  to 
  shake 
  off 
  

   these 
  birds, 
  or 
  have 
  been 
  otherwise 
  rescued 
  from 
  them, 
  usually 
  pine 
  and 
  

   die. 
  Many 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  with 
  their 
  intestines 
  torn 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   truding 
  from 
  the 
  wound 
  in 
  the 
  back. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  probable 
  number 
  of 
  sheep 
  destroyed 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  some 
  idea 
  may 
  

   be 
  formed 
  from 
  the 
  facts 
  observed 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  shearing 
  season. 
  Upon 
  

   one 
  run, 
  on 
  which 
  about 
  30,000 
  sheep 
  were 
  shorn, 
  above 
  one 
  hundred 
  were 
  

   found 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  torn 
  by 
  the 
  Kea, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   number 
  of 
  them. 
  On 
  this 
  particular 
  run 
  the 
  annual 
  loss 
  is 
  unusually 
  

   large. 
  A 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  loss 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  predaceous 
  

   habits 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  ; 
  for 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  rough 
  country 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  the 
  sheep 
  that 
  die 
  are 
  never 
  seen, 
  and 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  are 
  discovered, 
  

   decay 
  will 
  very 
  often 
  have 
  obscured 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  death. 
  

  

  These 
  parrots 
  frequent 
  the 
  higher 
  ranges 
  of 
  mountains, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  

   Takarahaka 
  and 
  Takitimo 
  in 
  Southland, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  common. 
  On 
  the 
  

   lower 
  ranges, 
  under 
  2000 
  feet, 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  occasionally 
  seen, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  

   this 
  time 
  do 
  not 
  usually 
  disturb 
  sheep 
  depasturing 
  below 
  that 
  elevation. 
  

  

  Al8 
  

  

  