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“ season ” is indicated by the ripening of certain berries on which this species subsists ; and the 
abundance of the birds is regulated to a great extent by that of the food-supply, which is more or 
less variable. A sporting gentleman pointed out to me a taraire grove at Ramarama, near Auckland, 
where in 1869 he found the Pigeons so numerous that he shot eighty-five in the course of two 
mornings ; but in the following year, owing to the partial failure of the taraire berry, there was hardly 
one to be seen there. 
It is to be met with on the Little Barrier, and more plentifully on the Hen and Chickens, just 
before the large-leaved parapara ( Pisonia umbellifera ) has ripened its fruit. This bird seems to be 
fond of the green berries ; and it is accordingly very difficult to obtain ripe seed of this valuable tree. 
It is said to have made its first appearance at the Chatham Islands about the year 1855. Be 
that as it may, it is now comparatively plentiful on all the islands of the group, and has been found 
breeding on Mangare. 
In the spring and early summer it is generally very lean and unfit for the table ; but as autumn 
advances and its favourite berries ripen, it rapidly improves in condition, till it becomes extremely 
fat. It is esteemed most by epicures when feeding on the mast of the miro, which imparts a peculiar 
richness to the flesh. In January the berries of the kohutuhutu, poroporo, kaiwiria, puriri, mangiao, 
and tupakihi constitute its ordinary bill of fare. From February to April their place is supplied by 
those of the tawa, matai, kahikatea, mapau, titoki, and maire. It is worth remarking that in 
localities where it happens to be feeding exclusively on the pulpy fruit of the kahikatea, it is not 
only in very poor condition, but acquires a disagreeable flavour from the turpentine contained in the 
seeds. Towards the close of this period also, the ti-palm, which comes into full bearing only at 
intervals of three or four years, occasionally supplies this bird with an abundant feast. These 
tropical-looking palms often form extensive groves in the open country or in swampy situations ; and 
when the Pigeons resort to them they are speared and snared in great numbers by the Maoris, an 
expert hand sometimes taking as many as sixty in a single day. In May and June it feeds chiefly on 
the miro and pate, when it reaches its prime and is much sought after. From July to September it 
lives almost entirely on taraire in the north, and on hinau, koeka, ramarama, and other smaller berries 
in the south. During the months of October, November, and December it is compelled to subsist in 
a great measure upon the green leaves of the kowhai ( Sophorct tetraptera), whauhi, and of several 
creeping plants. It also feeds on the tender shoots of the puwha, a kind of sow-thistle ; and the flesh 
then partakes of the bitterness of that plant. When the bird is feeding wholly on the dark berries 
of the whao the colour of its flesh is said to become affected by that of the food. 
The Pigeon-season, however, is to some extent contingent on locality ; for example, in the spring 
of 1863 I found these birds in the Upper Manawatu living on kowhai-leaves, and so lean in body as 
to be scarcely worth powder and shot, while in the low timbered flats under the ranges, where 
they were feeding on the ripe berries of the karaka ( Corynocarpus Icevigata), they were in excellent 
condition. 
At the Rev. Mr. Chapman’s old mission station at Te Ngae (Rotorua), formed in 1835, and now 
much out of repair and overgrown, there are several hundred acres of sweet-briars, run wild and pre- 
senting quite an impenetrable thicket. During the autumn months, when the red berries of the 
briars are fully ripe, large numbers of the Wood-Pigeon resort to these grounds to feed on this fruit, 
and at this season become exceedingly fat. 
Captain Mair, who kept a winged bird in his possession for about eight months, informs me that 
it fed readily on boiled potato, rice, wheat, and berries of every kind, and that it ultimately died of 
sheer fatness. It continued shy and untamable to the last, and on being handled would strike 
fiercely with its wings. The late Dr. Allison, of Wanganui, however, succeeded in rearing a young 
one which became perfectly tame and associated with his domestic Pigeons. I may also mention 
