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at, it hides itself among the angular debris of which these large taluses are composed. We tried 
several times in vain to catch one alive by surrounding it and removing these blocks. It reminded 
me strongly of the habits and movements of the lizards which live in the same regions and in 
similar localities.” 
Another correspondent says that “they move about so nimbly that to procure specimens was 
like shooting at mice.” 
This species is confined to the South Island, being met with in the mountains, at an elevaaon 
of 3000 feet and upwards, their range appearing to commence with the snowline, below which I 
have never heard of their being found. 
Mr. Brough, who sent me a specimen from Nelson, says it Was one ot fil e which he met witi in 
February on the very summit of a barren mountain. “ They were dodging about among the angular 
rocks right on the top of the peaks, where there was no vegetation except the, so called \e & etab e 
sheep 5 ( Baoulia eximia), which grows freely enough among the debris or shale. . ^ ^ iu ; , ' e 1KS ^ cie ’ 
at that time, catching a bright-coloured alpine butterfly, which I have since i enti ec as mot, 
huttoni. , , . T , 
Mr. Reischek writes that he found it very plentiful on the top of Mount Alexander, near Lake 
Brunner, also on Mount Alcidus, near Rakaia forks, “ hopping about among the debris grown oier 
with alpine vegetation.” On the heights overlooking Dusky Sound, he found it extreme y laie, a 
circumstance which he attributes to the thousands of rats infesting that region. ... 
Sir J. Hector found it frequenting the stunted vegetation growing on the mountain-sides in the 
Otago Province ; and Mr. John Buchanan, the artist attached to the Geological Survey, met with it 
on the Black Peak, at an elevation of 8000 feet. There, where the vegetation is reduced to a height 
of only a few inches, it was constantly to be seen, fluttering over the loose rocks or upon the ground 
in its assiduous search for minute insects and their larvae. _ 
It is worthy of remark that in this species the claw of the hind toe is considerably moie 
developed than in the tree-frequenting X. longipes — even exceeding the toe in length a modification 
of structure specially adapted to the peculiar habits of the bird, which differ from those of the former 
species consistently with its habitat. They hunt much on the ground, particularly in wet weather; 
and will freely visit the explorer’s camp, hopping about on the ground, picking at mutton-fat oi any- 
thing of the kind lying outside. The young are fed on insects ; and it is amusing to see the old 
birds coming to the nest, sometimes with a dragon-fly almost as large as its captoi, and dividing it 
among the brood. 
Mr. W. W. Smith informs me that on one occasion he collected twelve of these birds, and that 
the stomachs of all of them contained the minute chrysalids commonly found among fallen leaves and 
other decaying vegetation. 
The nest, which is a more finished construction than that of the Bush- Wren, is placed m a 
sheltered crevice among the loose rocks or debris of the mountain. One found under these circum- 
stances by Mr. Brough in the Nelson district, on Sept. 24, contained five eggs. Ihis nest, which 
is now in my collection, is of a rounded form, laterally compressed, and measuring five inches m its 
widest diameter. It is composed externally of wiry rootlets, intermixed with very small twigs and 
dry leaves. The entrance is on the side, being a perfectly round aperture about an inch m diameter. 
The interior of the nest is lined with soft feathers. 
The e^g (of which I have a single damaged specimen) is ovoido-elliptical m form, measuring 
■7 of an inch in length by -5 in breadth, and is perfectly white, with a slightly polished surface. 
