20 
reverence by the Arawa, who will not allow it to be wilfully destroyed. Those who have read Maori 
history will be familiar with the story of Ngatoroirangi and his sacred Tiekes of Cuvier Island. 
Hence the proverb, “ Mann mohio kei Reponga,” commonly applied to a man wise in council, and 
used in the sense of our own proverbial saying “ Old birds are not to be caught with chaff.” 
Dr. Hector has informed me of a peculiarity in the habits of this species as observed by him 
in Otago. It is accustomed to follow the flocks of Clitonyx ochrocephala through the bush ; but for 
what purpose it is difficult to imagine. Wherever he saw a flock of Yellow-heads there was invari- 
ably one of these Saddle-backs in attendance, mingling freely with them and, as it were, exercising 
a general supervision over the flock. He assures me that, during many months’ residence in 
the woods, he had almost daily opportunities of verifying his observations regarding this very 
curious fact. 
Active in all its movements, it seldom remains more than a few seconds in one position, but 
darts through the branches or climbs the boles of the trees, performing the ascent by a succession of 
nimble hops, and often spirally. It is naturally a noisy bird, and when excited or alarmed becomes 
very clamorous, hurrying through the woods with cries of “ tiaki-rere,” or a note like cheep-te-te, 
quickly repeated several times. At other times it has a scale of short flute-notes, clear and musical ; 
but the most remarkable exhibition of its vocal powers takes place during the breeding-season, when 
the male performs to his mate in a soft strain of exquisite sweetness. This love-song is heard only 
on a near approach, and it is at first difficult to believe that so clamorous a bird could be capable of 
such tender strains. 
When feeding its young the female has a different cry — a low, musical whistle, repeated once 
or twice. When the nest is invaded, or the safety of the young threatened, the male bird becomes 
very excited and utters his shrill cry with renewed energy and with quicker repetition. 
The Plate represents the bird on a flowering branch of the pukapuka ( Br achy glottis repanda ) ; 
and I may here mention that in this and some other instances Mr. Keulemans has availed himself 
of my son’s drawings of the New-Zealand flora. 
Professor Hutton discovered the nest of this species on the Little Barrier Island. It was 
situated about two feet down the hollow stem of a dead tree-fern that had been broken off at the 
top, and from which he saw a Saddle-back emerge. The nest was roughly composed of stems of 
Hymenophyllum and dead fibres of nikau ( Areca sapida), and lined with the fine papery bark of the 
Leptospermum ; and it contained three eggs, which, at the time they were found (December 27th), had 
been slightly sat upon. One of these specimens was kindly forwarded to me and is now in the 
Colonial Museum; it measures l - 4 inch in length by 1 in breadth, and is white, marked and 
spotted, especially at the thicker end, with purplish brown of different shades. 
An egg more recently received by the Canterbury Museum, from the West Coast, is of a rather 
elliptical form, measuring 1*2 inch in length by '85 of an inch in its greatest width. It is of a 
delicate purplish grey, becoming lighter at the smaller end, and marked all over the surface, but 
more thickly at the larger end, with points, spots, and blotches of dark purple and brown. 
I was informed by an intelligent Maori at Wellington that this bird is accustomed to repair, 
for many successive seasons, to the cavity in which it has once reared its brood, and that, although 
the number of eggs is generally three, he has occasionally found a nest containing four. 
