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at Auckland, three or four of these birds so thoroughly domesticated that they would readily come at 
the call of the keeper and take food from his hand. 
Its usual note is a short harsh cry, but when disturbed or frightened it utters a long, peevish 
scream ; and as the bird is seminocturnal in its habits, this rather melancholy sound may sometimes 
be heard, at intervals, all through the night. 
At Tokanu (at the southern extremity of Lake Taupo) the natives snare thousands of them in 
June and July, at which time they are very fat. They are caught by a very simple artifice. The 
natives, having m.arked their principal haunts, drive rows of stakes into the swampy soil at distances 
of a few feet. These are connected by means of flax-strings, from which are suspended hair-like 
nooses (made of the fibrous leaf of Cordyline) arranged in close succession, with the edges overlapping, 
and placed just high enough from the ground to catch the bird s head as it moves along the surface 
in search of food. As the Swamp-hen is crepuscular in its habits, being most active after dusk, it 
has less opportunity of avoiding the treacherous loops. It frecjuents the Maori plantations in consi- 
derable numbers and proves very destructive to the young crops, and later in the season it plunders 
the potato-fields and kumara-beds *. The snaring of these birds, therefore, on this large scale, answers 
a double purpose, inasmuch as the Maoris find them excellent eating when roasted in their own fat. 
This bird often leaves its home in the marshes to travel over the sand-dunes amongst the tauhinu 
bushes in quest of grasshoppers. The footprints with their long toe-marks may be observed every- 
where in the loose dry sand, testifying to the diligence of the search. At one season, when the little 
Coprosma is in berry, they come out of cover to feast upon it, the plant being a stunted one and the 
berries easily accessible to the Pukeko with its long neck and somewhat stilted legs. 
A favourite resort of this bird is the swamp at Te Aute, in the Hawke’s Bay district, one of the 
best shooting-grounds in the colony. Here there is a morass over three thousand acres in extent, 
more or less wet according to the season of the year’, with a broad lagoon or mere in the centre, and 
swarming with wild fowl of every kind. At the time of my last visit to this familiar ground (14th 
December) the growth of raupo bulrush was young and vividly green, looking like an Egyptian 
“ paddy-field.” It was interesting to see the Pukekos come out in swarms on the adjoining meadows, 
accompanied by their young, some only the size of pullets, others more than half-grown, and all 
readily distinguishable by their dark bill and frontal shield. In this well-frequented place they have 
become quite accustomed to the railway traffic, and may be seen walking about in the most unconcerned 
manner within twenty or thirty yards of the passing train. 
If pressed to take the water, they swim well, as I have often had an opportunity of seeing; and 
on this point Mr. Moore, of Waimarama, sends me the following note : — 
“ Several times when passing the Maraetotara, a deep limestone creek between rather high banks, 
I have seen these birds swimming across fifteen yards of water of about twelve feet deep. I told lots 
of people of this, but they would not believe it ; but I have lately been able to convince several of my 
friends (Messrs. Frank Nairn and Meinertzhagen among them) by actually showing them the Pukeko 
swimming in fifteen or twenty feet of water. The other day I was riding down to Napier, and Avhen I 
came to the Maraetotara I saw some Pukekos swimming over to the other side, when ail at once I 
* The thievish propensities of this bird are traditional with the Maoris ; and the following characteristic evidence in relation 
thereto was given in the Native Land Court at Marten during the hearing of the famous llangatira case. The witness under 
examination, on behalf of the Ngatiapa claimants, was the old warrior, Matiaha Peko, who said : — “ I was born at Te Ngeo 
and am the son of Takiau, the same man who, in company with Te Kapiti, killed Totohu at Tc Karangi, on the banks of the 
Pourewa creek. This was long before the date of the Haowhenna fight on the coast (1826). They killed him for stealing the 
eels in that creek. Then they cut him up, cooked and eat him — eat the whole of him except tho head, and that we preserved 
and dried in the old Maori fashion (moko-r)ioIcai). I helped to eat him. I saw the head. It was a huge head with crisjj hair 
like a negro’s {jyorilci), and had tho face completely covered with ‘ tatooing.’ We took the preserved head with us to Turakina, 
and then used it for a long time stuck on a pole, as a ‘ scare ’ to keep the Pukekos away from our potato-grounds.” 
