Chap. III. DUCKS— TREE-FERNS. 57 
some good-natured raillery at Charley's expense. These 
birds are very large, of brilliant plumage, and extremely 
well flavoured. We had laid our blankets on the 
shingly beach, which makes an excellent mattress ; and 
were rather alarmed in the night by the tide, which, 
on rising, extinguished the fire at our feet. 
September 8th. — Soon after starting this morning, 
we passed the mouths of two deep bays, which stretch 
far to the east and south-east. The natives told us 
that at the head of these are necks of land over which 
the natives haul their canoes into the head of Queen 
Charlotte's Sound and the TVairau river respectively. 
This latter empties itself into Cloudy Bay, south of 
Port Underwood. We had now reached the fresh wa- 
ter, and were steering between extensive mud-flats, 
from among which we disturbed countless flocks of wild 
ducks of different sorts. These are principally the 
black, the grey, the blue-winged, and the paradise 
duck, or J9M tan^i tangi, as it is called by the natives. 
The last is nearly as large as a goose, and of beautiful 
plumage. The drake is of mottled black and dark blue 
and green ; the female has a white head and neck, 
greenish-grey body, and light-chocolate wings. As 
they fly in pairs, the harsh croak of the drake alter- 
nates with a plaintive cry uttered by the duck. Our 
travelling larder was well replenished as we went 
along. The shooting a bird while flying seemed to ex- 
cite unbounded admiration on the part of Charley. 
We were soon ascending against the current of a 
rapid and narrow stream, forming numerous islands 
covered with an abundance of shrubs and scattered 
trees ; the hills close in upon the valley in places. 
The pitau, or tree-ferns, growing like a palm-tree, form 
a distinguishing ornament of the New Zealand forest. 
In these natural shrubberies, too, and especially in wet 
