Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds 201


to my knowledge been kept in captivity but it would doubtless

make a delightful pet and be much easier to feed than the ordinary

tits. However, there is not the slightest chance of this bird ever

being kept in its native country or exported which is really not

to be regretted when one thinks how very rare nearly all New

Zealand birds are.


The Yellowhead (Mohoua ochrocephala)


This very beautiful and striking-looking bird is found only in

the large forest patches in the South Island where it goes under

the name of “ Bush Canary ”. It is not common and one may

consider oneself lucky to come across a party of these active and

very inquisitive birds. Like their cousins from the North Island,

the Whiteheads, a party will, upon seeing a stranger, at once

come round and make an examination, but they do not stay for

long, soon passing on through the undergrowth of the forest,

searching in a very business-like way for small insects amongst

the leaves and clusters of berries. Few birds are more genuinely

gregarious than the Whiteheads and Yellowheads. They keep up

a continual twitter as they pass along, and this is increased when

they see a stranger. One can almost imagine their saying, “ Oh,

yes, pleased to see you and all that but sorry that we can’t stop.”

No birds struck me as being so systematic as these two species as

they hunt for their food through the forest. It is a beautiful

sight to see a flock of these brilliant yellow birds passing through

the forest, every now and then giving vent to their exceedingly

sweet and musical song and adopting every possible attitude in

their search for food. I have often noticed Zosterops in associa¬

tion with these birds working in closely united flocks.


There is something finch-like in the build of these birds, but

like most of New Zealand’s birds, they form a very distinct genus

and have no near affinities. I can never understand why, in the

olden days when they were plentiful, they were never exported to

this country or even kept in their own country, but the chance is

now lost for ever.



