610 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
and thus perishes ; the kiwi parure is the largest kind, and 
the kiwi Jioihoi the smallest ; it is a night bird, and finds its 
food by smell, feeling the way by means of its large whiskers, 
inserting its bill in the earth in search of worms with great 
celerity, making at the same time a snuffling sound ; it then 
appears very animated, kicks with considerable force, and 
expresses its anger by a hissing or grunting noise ; it is easily 
tamed, the cry it makes is very similar to its name, from 
which probably it was derived ; the kiwi is an unsightly 
bird, having short thick legs, with very strong nails ; it has 
no tail ; in very wet weather it is often driven out of the 
forest, and compelled to seek the plain ; when at rest, it 
supports itself upon its beak ; the natives always tie a feather 
or two of this bird to their pawa , or fish-hooks ; it is good 
eating, and tastes more like tender beef than a bird ; the 
principal fleshy parts are the ribs and legs. There is said 
to be another bird of this family in the Middle Island, weigh- 
ing as much as eighteen pounds ; it is so strong that it cannot 
be held with one hand, and if the captor be not very careful, 
it will escape, as my informant said, by shaking itself out of 
its feathers, which it commonly does when caught, this is 
probably the Roa. 
The natives speak of an immense bird which lived on the 
tops of the mountains of the Middle Island, and was called 
powakai; this is alluded to in several of their traditions; 
they also talk of another member of this family, which they 
name the kiwi papa whenua, this is described as having 
been fully seven feet high ; Rauparaha told me he had eaten 
it in his youth, which might be about seventy years ago, 
and when that Chief died, his corpse was said to have been 
ornamented with one of its feathers. 
It is to be observed that, although the birds of the Middle 
Island are essentially the same with those of the north, yet 
still there is a difference ; they vary in several particulars, 
and though belonging to a colder climate, in general their 
colors are brighter than the others ; this difference is the 
more singular from the narrowness of the straits which divide 
the two islands, and perhaps is to be regarded as a proof 
