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ISLAND LIFE 



PART II 



it is universally believed in by residents in that part 

 of New Zealand. The actual capture of this animal and 

 the determination of its characters and affinities could not 

 fail to aid us greatly in our speculations as to the nature 

 and origin of the New Zealand fauna.^ 



Wingless Birds, Living and Extinct. — Almost equally valu- 

 able with mammalia in affording indications of geographical 

 changes are the wingless birds for which New Zealand is so 

 remarkable. These consist of four species of Apteryx, 

 called by the natives " kiwis," — creatures which hardly look 

 like birds owing to the apparent absence (externally) of 

 tail or wings and the dense covering of hair-like feathers. 

 They vary in size from that of a small fowl up to that of a 

 turkey, and have a long slightly curved bill, somewhat 

 resembling that of the snipe or ibis. Two species appear 

 to be confined to the South Island, and one to the North 

 Island, but all are becoming scarce, and they will no doubt 

 gradually become extinct. These birds belong to the 

 subclass Ratitse, which includes the ostriches and 

 cassowaries, but they form a distinct order, and in many 

 respects differ greatly from all other known birds. 



But besides these, a number of other wingless birds, 

 called " moas," inhabited New Zealand during the period 

 of human occupation, and have only recently become ex- 

 tinct. These were much larger birds than the kiwis, and 

 some of them were even larger than the ostrich, a specimen 



^ The animal described by Captain Cook as having been seen at Pick- 

 ersgill Harbour in Dusky Bay (Cook's 2nd Voyage, Vol. I. p. 98) may have 

 been the same creature. He says, "A four-footed animal was seen by three 

 or four of our people, but as no two gave the same description of it, I can- 

 not say what kind it is. All, however, agreed that it was about the size of 

 a cat, with short legs, and of a mouse colour. One of the seamen, and he 

 who had the best view of it, said it had a bushy tail, and was the most like 

 a jackal of any animal he knew." It is suggestive that, so far as the 

 points on which "all agreed " — the size and the dark colour — this descrip- 

 tion would answer well to the animal so recently seen, while the "short 

 legs " correspond to the otter-like tracks, and the thick tail of an otter-like 

 animal may well have appeared "bushy" when the fur was dry. It has 

 been suggested that it was only one of the native dogs ; but as none of those 

 who saw it took it for a dog, and the points on which they all agreed are 

 not dog-like, we can hardly accept this explanation ; while the actual exist- 

 ence of an unknown animal in New Zealand of corresponding size and 

 colour is confirmed by this account of a similar animal having been seen 

 about a century ago. 



