614 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
was formerly. When the tui becomes so extremely fat as to 
be uncomfortable to itself, it is said to peck its breast, and thus 
cause the oil to exude, which completely saturates its feathers, 
so that when caught it is found covered with the marks of its 
peckings, and thence acquires the name of koko, or pecking. 
The tui is said to breed three times in the year, beginning in 
September, or early spring, when it lays three pure white 
eggs ; in December five ; and in March, or autumn, six or 
seven ; it takes little more than a fortnight to hatch ; the 
unfledged bird is called ay?/, afterwards a pikari, and when 
fledged a jpurehe ; but, full-grown, a tui , and when very fat, 
a koko; the flesh of this bird is considered a very great dainty ; 
but its lively song is far sweeter to those who admire melody, 
and such will regret that this will not save it from the Maori 
oven. 
The kotihe (joogonornis cinctaj . This beautiful honey-bird 
has a velvety black head and wings, with a tuft of white 
feathers on either cheek and wing; it has a bright yellow 
circle round the lower part of the neck and wings ; the back 
and tail are of a yellowish grey ; it is about the size of a bull- 
finch. The male is much larger than the female, which has 
not so fine a plumage ; its legs are strong, and the tail 
slightly forked, it lays four eggs, the notes are pleasing, 
but few, which, when it has sung, it hops away to another 
bush. 
The korimako , kokorimako and komako (antliornis mela - 
nura). This bird is the sweetest songster of New Zealand, 
and sings in the night as in the day, but is not dis- 
tinguished by its plumage, which is of a yellowish olive, 
with a dark bluish shade on each side of the head ; the rest 
of the body being of a dingy yellow-green color ; it has a 
long forked tail, and strong wings ; the legs are of a puce 
color ; it lays seven eggs, spotted with blue, upon a brown 
ground ; the male is larger, and its plumage rather brighter, 
with more green in it than that of the female ; it is also 
called kojpara. To this genus belongs the anthornis melano- 
cephcda of the Chatham Isles ; these honey-birds have brush 
tongues, hence named trichoglossi . 
