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of my garden, where, after much preliminary persecntion, it now tolerates the companionship of a young 
Sea-Gull {Larns dominicanus). The history of this bird is somewhat remarkable. About a year and 
a half ago it was captured somewhere in the vicinity of Kapiti, and came into the possession of the 
Hon. Wi Parata, who kept it in his marae till it became quite tame. Being injured in the wing it 
was unable to fly, but having made its escape, it travelled some ten miles up the coast, and was 
recaptured by some natives at Otaki. It remained there some three months, and then made a fresh 
start northwards. Its next stage was Horowhenua, where it was caught and taken inland to Hector 
McDonald’s homestead. Here it became an inmate of the farm-yard, and appeared to get quite 
reconciled to its changed mode of life. It fraternized with the dogs and poultry, sharing their food 
and occasionally devouring a chicken. But one day, after a fight with a rival turkey, in which it 
appeared to come off second-best, it travelled to the coast, a distance of some four miles, and then 
turned its head northwards again. A week or two later it was found near the mouth of the Manawatu 
river, and carried inland to Foxton. It commemorated its arrival by swallowing some ducklings and 
chickens. It was then passed on to a settler ‘ up in the bush,’ where it killed and devoured a well- 
grown pullet. I arrived just in time to prevent its being sacrificed to the anger of the good housewife. 
Thence it was deported by coach to Wellington, making its escape on the Manawatu sands, en route, 
and detaining Her Majesty’s mails while being recaptured. After keeping the bird caged for a few 
days I turned it loose in the garden, where it has remained for upwards of six months without any 
attempt to get away. Christened ‘ Peter ’ by the children, he has become quite tame and familiar, 
answering to his name and taking food from the hand. He has selected a sunny spot on high ground, 
as an outlook station by day and as a sleeping-place by night. He wanders over the place freely, 
looking for worms and grubs, and during the heat of the day seeks the shade of some bushy shrub. 
He is almost omnivorous, but gives the preference to fish and meat. On a dead bird being offered 
him he runs off with it in his beak, then holding it down with his feet, plucks the feathers off and 
devours the flesh. On throwing him a Blight-bird {Zosterops lateralis) he bolted it, feathers and all. 
On another occasion I gave him the body of a Dove Petrel [Prion turtur). He carried it off in his 
bill, tore off the feathers in an incredibly short space of time, crunched the wing-bones in his powerful 
bill, and then swallowed the whole, the extremities of the wings protruding from his mouth till the bird 
had fairly settled down in the Skua’s crop. His capacity for swallowing fish is something astonishing, 
his crop becoming greatly distended. He has the power of regurgitating his food, and will sometimes 
reproduce from his throat a bone of marvellous size, the wonder being how he ever managed to swallow 
it. Although not habitually a nocturnal bird, he sometimes gets very excited after dark, hurrying 
about the garden with outstretched wings and uttering a peculiar cry as if being suffocated. At other 
times he emits at intervals a note like the crowing of a Pheasant. During the day Peter is noiseless, 
except when quarrelling with the Sea-Gull or disputing possession of a bone with the dog, when he 
has a short peevish note, quickly repeated. His first encounter with a tame Cockatoo in the garden 
was quite ludicrous. He first played the role of assailant, but the moment his opponent erected his 
crest, Peter quailed and ran away. After this they established friendly relations with each other, 
often basking together in the sun, and drinking from the same fountain *. 
“ I have mentioned before that this capture is the first known instance of the occurrence of the 
Southern Skua in the North Island. I have lately, however, met with another on the West Coast. 
Travelling by coach we found one, apparently a male in full plumage, on the sandy beach, not far 
from the Otaki river. He was evidently worn out with fatigue, and would not rise till the coach was 
within a few yards of him ; then rising with a slow and laboured flight, he proceeded a few hundred 
* To the above full record of his life, I have nothing to add hut a notice of his death, a year later, which appeared to be 
the result of sheer old age. His obituary was communicated to me by my wife in the following terms : — “ Like a sensible bird 
he first had a hearty breakfast, then a bath, and then laid himself down in a comfortable place on the lawn and quietly died.” 
t 
