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This elegant little bird belongs to the North Island, where it has a pretty general distribution, being 
met with in all localities suited to its habits *. It is a familiar species, seeking the habitations of man, 
and taking up its abode in his gardens and orchards. It is always to be seen in the clearings and 
cultivated grounds near the bush, moving about in a peculiar fitful manner, and in the early morn 
may be heard uttering a prolonged trilling note, very sweet and plaintive. Its usual attitude is with 
the wings slightly lowered and the tail perfectly erect, almost at a right angle with the body. It 
has a sparkling black eye, and all its actions are lively and sprightly. The strongly contrasted 
plumage of the male bird renders it a conspicuous object; but the female, owing to her sombre 
colours and less obtrusive habits, is rarely seen. Its note in the early morning is like the Maori 
syllables ngi-i-ru , ngivu-ngiru , from which it derives its native name, the first syllable being somewhat 
prolonged. Throughout the day, and often till late in the evening, it utters, at frequent intervals, a 
soft note like the words “ Willoughby-willoughby, repeated several times. Ihis is often heard in 
association with the musical trill of Gevygone , the two birds warbling, as it were responsively, from 
the same bush. 
It is very tenacious of life, and I have found it difficult to kill, even with dust-shot, the bird 
often flying some distance after being mortally wounded. On examining it after death, one is struck 
with the disproportionately large size of the head, which is kept drawn in upon the body during life, 
as shown in the figure. The plumage, which is peculiarly soft and yielding, is distributed in well- 
defined tracts or areas, as in all other Carinate birds ; but the intervening spaces aie unusually wide, 
being perfectly smooth and bare, and the skin on the hind neck rises in a peculiar, naked fold, with 
a narrow line of feathers on the top like a mane. 
It is interesting to watch this active little creature as it flits about the fences and fallen timber 
in the bush-clearings, where it is to be found at all hours of the day. It rests for a moment on its 
perch, flirting its wings and tail in a rapid manner, then darts to the ground to pick up a grub or 
earthworm, and, flying upwards again almost immediately, clings by its tiny feet to the upright bole 
of a tree or some other perpendicular surface, a peculiar attitude which it appears to delight in. Its 
food consists of small insects and their larvae ; and it proves itself useful by devouring a destructive 
little aphide which infests our fruit-trees. I have opened many and in every instance found its 
stomach f ull of minute insect remains, proving how serviceable it must be to the husbandman. 
Like its allies, Erythacus for instance, this bird has a pugnacious spirit, and during the pairing- 
season the males meet and fight on the slightest provocation, whether real or imaginary. 
I have noticed that it often manifests an attachment for a particular locality, resorting to the 
same perch day after day. The Maoris, too, have observed this ; and at Otaki they passed their title 
to a plot of ground through the Native Land Court under the name of “ Te-tau-a-te-Miromiro (the 
perching-place of the Miromiro). 
It is far less plentiful than it formerly was in our fields and gardens. There seems no reason to 
fear, however, that the species is dying out, for in the Fagus forests of the interior I have found it 
extremely plentiful. In the woods at the foot of Ruapehu and neighbouring high lands, where, save 
the occasional twitter of small birds in the branches, all is silent as the giave, this pxetty little 
creature is always to be met with. It flits noiselessly from one tree to another, then descends to the 
ground, and in a few instants reappears on its perch, flirting its tail upwards, and emitting at intervals 
a soft call-note of peculiar sweetness. Destitute of animal life as these sub-alpine woods un- 
doubtedly are, they are not without their attractions. Owing to their high elevation vapour- 
clouds are continually hanging over them, causing a perpetual moisture. In consequence of this the 
* Mr Sharpe says (Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.) that M. toitoi is found in the Chatham Islands. But this is obviously a mistake, the 
only species at present known from these islands being M, dieffenbachii, which, as explained above, is identical with M. macro- 
ce-phala of the South Island. 
