612 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
beak bright green, eye black, with a red circle ; it has a very 
small tail, which is black underneath, with white bands ; the 
legs are of a pale green. 
The moho periru, or motarua, a small dark brown rail of 
uniform color, with red legs, black eyes, red circle, black bill, 
small tail, black underneath, spotted with white, the breast 
and front edges of the wings are of a dark bright blue. 
Totoriwai, a small black rail; the moho is also a black 
bird, formerly very abundant, but now seldom seen. 
Fam. Tetraonidce — koitareke , or kokoreke , koreke, and kou- 
tareke , (coturnix novoe Zealandice J is a small quail, with 
short legs, nearly resembling that of Australia, in its general 
features ; it is extremely rare, and all but extinct in the 
North Island. 
In the fam. Falconidoe, is the kahu (falco Novoe Zealandice 
vel circus GoldiiJ , a fine large hawk, which is very destructive 
to poultry, and will not hesitate to pounce on eveu a full- 
grown hen, the wings are nearly four feet across when 
expanded, but the body of this rapacious bird is very small, 
being dark yellow, spotted with brown, and the breast a 
lighter color, spotted. 
The kaiaia , or karewarewa, kauaua , (Hieracidea). This 
is very similar to the English sparrow-hawk; it has a shrill 
cry, which is regarded as a weather omen. 
There is also a night hawk, (Hieracidea Novoe Zealandice 
GoldiiJ somewhat similar to the sparrow-hawk in plumage. 
Fam. Strigidoe — koukou or ruru {Athene Novoe Zelandice.) 
It is called more pork by the settlers, this is a small owl, and 
the only one known in the North Island ; it is easily killed 
with a stick in the day time. 
{A. albifrons,) — Wekou , only found in the Middle Island; 
a third has been found by Dr. Haast, and after him is called 
Btiix Haastii. 
Fam. Alcedinidce — kotare, {halcyon vagans). It closely 
resembles the English kingfisher in plumage, but, if anything, 
is rather inferior to it in beauty, and is a third larger. 
Fam. Upupidce — huia, ( Hetera lochaj. This is a beau- 
tiful bird, with small wings, about the size of the jay, of 
