166 
to New Zealand , and the most remarkable ones there are rapidly 
dying out, and arc already partly extinct. 1 2 One of the pret- 
tiest creatures is the Tui, Parson Bird of the colonists ( Prosthe - 
madera Novae Zdandiae] , which roves about in the lofty, leafy crowns 
of the forest-trees. “Larger than the blackbird and more elegant 
in shape, his plumage is lustrous black, irradiated with green hues 
and pencilled with silver grey, and he displays a white throat-tuft 
for his clerical bands. lie can sing, but seldom will; and preserves 
his voice for mocking others. Darting from some low shrub to the 
topmost twig of the tallest tree , lie commences roaring forth such 
a variety of strange noises with such changes of voice and volume 
of tone, as to claim the instant attention of the forest. Caught 
and caged, he is still the merry ventriloquist, mocks cocks and 
cats and attempts the baby. To add to his merits, ho becomes a 
very fine eating in the season of the Poroporo berries. 77 2 The 
chief songster is the Kokorimoko (Anthornis melanura). Of the 
Certliiparus species among the real warblers, likewise of the New 
Zealand thrush (Turnagra crassirostris] , and the starlings Aplonis 
and Creadion , I am not able to say, whether and how they 
sing. A striking exception appeared to me the New Zealand lark 
( Alauda Novae Zelandice) , very common on all roads and hills, which 
1 have, however, never heard utter a sound. A remarkably fine 
tenant of the forests is the large wood-pigeon Kuku (Ca rpophaga 
Novae Zelandice]. 
In the family of the parrots we met in New Zealand a very 
peculiar genus, that of the Nestor . They are characterized by an aqui- 
line, far overlapping upper-beak. The brilliant hues of the parrot- 
family is bleached down in the chief representative of this genus, 
the Kaka — ( Nestor hypopolius , synon. with Nestor meridionalis or 
Australis], — very numerous and common in all the woods, to a 
faint brown and grayish-green ; only the exceedingly rare and 
larger species, Nestor notabilis and Nestor Esslingii, display livelier 
1 For a separate treatise on the remarkable wingless birds see the following 
chapter. 
2 Hursthousc, New Zealand I. p. 118, 
