244 Mr. E. L. Layard's Ornithological Notes 
The large Kit e, (Hieracidea novce-zelandice ) is not unfrequent, 
flying over the fields, hunting for larks or a stray chicken. It 
also haunts the rivers, preying on dead fish. I was told that a 
game-cock was seen to defend his seraglio against nine repeated 
attacks of one of these Hawks, each time meeting his adversary 
in his “ stoop,” knocking him over and spurring him gallantly : 
the Hawk eventually retreated. I saw a somewhat similar 
combat between the little Hieracidea hrunnea and a Cochin u hen 
with one chick.” The gallant mother threw herself between 
the pounce of the Hawk and her little one, and the former 
bounded off from her well-covered breast as from a mass of 
india-rubber, and fell to the ground, cowed and baffled : three 
times he came up to the attack, but finally flew off dinnerless. 
On that curious and almost inaccessible island, the “ Little 
Barrier,” I procured a single specimen of an apparently very rare 
bird—the Creadion carunculatus. We were attracted to it by 
its harsh, disagreeable cry. I never saw but this one, which, un¬ 
fortunately, was cut to pieces by the shot. It is said that the 
Kiwi exists in large numbers on this lonely island, but we did 
not see any tracks. The natives also affirm that on Cuvier 
Island, between the “ Great Barrier” and the main island, there 
exists a Tui, or Parson-bird, with red hands instead of white. 
They have a tradition connecting this peculiarity with some 
murder committed on the island in bygone years, the particulars 
of which have escaped my memory. 
The “ Huia” ( Neomorpha gouldii), ever a rare bird, is said to 
be almost extinct. The tail-feathers are still much sought after 
to adorn the heads of the chiefs. It is singular that birds not 
now so much used as food by the natives should be scarce and 
more wary than in olden times, when they formed one of the 
staple articles of diet. Can this arise from their fear at the sound 
of fire-arms ? 
Many birds were formerly captured simply with a snare at 
the end of a stick, which the Maori passed over the neck of the 
unsuspicious victim. Some species were speared, the native 
standing at the foot of a tree, and passing his weapon up 
through the branches till within half a foot of the bird's breast, 
when a sudden thrust sent the barbed point home, and the bird 
