54 
The Emu. 
Hen from a patch of marshy land, he follows, and probably 
marks the bird down in some adjacent scrub. Following 
quickly, the dog is on the bird, which, trusting to its length of 
leg, finds itself no match for the dog, and falls a victim. The 
Pukeko is hated by sportsmen on account of its running powers. 
Often one's setter draws away on a strong scent up some steep, 
rough face. Hope runs high in the expectation of a good cock 
Pheasant at the finish. However, the sportsman is disgusted, 
after a hundred yards' climb, by seeing our blue-coated friend 
sailing back to whence he came. 
The young must be taken early if it is intended to tame them. 
Mr. Guy Chambers had a pair which appeared quite domes- 
ticated, and followed him about the place ; still, when the 
breeding season came round they became restless, and finally 
went astray. I have often watched these birds using the claws 
of one foot when feeding by holding the food up off the ground 
and breaking it off in pieces with the beak. 
The food consists of the young shoots and roots of various 
swamp plants ; it is rather destructive to young corn and vege- 
tables planted near its haunts. It also feeds on the freshwater 
mussels (called pipi by the Maories), but whether it dives for 
these or simply obtains them by wading in shallow water I am 
unable to say. I once saw a bird obtaining them from the edge 
of a shallow stream by simply probing the edge. In the autumn 
it may be observed far up the hillsides among the grass in 
quest of crickets and grasshoppers, but it only ventures out in 
such exposed positions at dawn or dusk. A Pukeko was, on 
one occasion, surprised feeding on the fallen berries of the 
white pine at the edge of the bush. 
The Swamp Hen swims well, but does not readily take to 
water, although the young do, and are expert divers. 
Albino and partial-albino varieties are occasionally met in 
the colony, and in July, 1888, I observed one with a good deal 
of white on the primaries ; this was very marked when the bird 
was flying. 
Dr. Sharpe has described (Cat. B., xxiii., p. 202) the Swamp 
Hen from the Chatham Islands as P. ChatJiamensis* but 
appears to have only compared it with P. bellus. The female of 
P. inelanonotus is smaller than the male and of duller plumage, 
and, so far as I can see, the female does the larger share of 
incubating the eggs — if not all. 
The breeding habits do not appear to differ in New Zealand 
from those of the Australian birds. As a rule the nest may be 
found in a swampy situation, either on a tussock or among 
raupo ; usually some water surrounds the site. I have, however, 
found the nest some distance from water. 
On 24th December, 1899, I took, or rather observed — it was 
taken with a camera later on — the nest of a pair of P. mela7ionotus 
. * Ibis, 1893, p. 531- 
