ZOOLOGY. 
187 
sarae ] u | le h heard a shrill cry. On looking up, I found it was' 
one oi t hese courageous little sparrow-hawks which had attacked 
me, and which, after sitting for a moment or two on a branch, 
again pounced on me, and although I had a long compass stick in 
i' m< ' w ^h which I tried to knock it down, it repeated its 
a ack several times. The presence of my whole party even did 
not intimidate them, and they frequently exhibited their courage 
by attacking us. J 
TV e met with another instance of the courage of these birds in 
t e Matakitaki plains. A white crane of large size standing in 
e v ater was attacked by three of them at once, and they made 
requent and w ell concerted charges upon him from different 
quarters. It was admirable to behold the kotuku (white crane), 
\\ ith his head laid back, darting his pointed beak at his foes 
with the swiftness of an arrow, whilst they, with the utmost 
agility, avoided the spear of their strong adversary, whom at last 
they were fain to leave to fish unmolested. Another day a cor¬ 
morant (Gfraucalus varius) passing in the same neighbourhood 
near a tree, on ay In ch two of these sparrow-hawks were sitting, 
they instantly pounced upon him, putting him to hasty flight 
with a shrill cry of terror, followed closely by his smaller but 
fierce foes, and all three were soon out of sight. 
In speaking of the cormorants, I may add that there are several 
species which exist all along the rivers and sea coast. They are 
capital fishers, and one day I was witness how well they under¬ 
stood how to procure their food. It was near the spot where one 
of the northern spurs of Mount Murchison slopes down to the 
Buffer, which here forms small falls and rapids. A cormorant 
was standing on an isolated rock, round which the foaming water 
dashed doAvn, and I was not a little surprised to see him jump 
down into the white foam. In the first instance I thought he 
would not get out again, but would be dashed to death by the 
whirling waters; but soon he reappeared, swimming rapidly 
towards the edge, and then flying on to his old observatory to 
continue his sport. It is probable that small fishes are taken 
dowu<by the faffs, and, being stunned by the force of the water, 
are easily caught by the courageous bird. A new proof that 
nature has given to every animal the necessary physical strength, 
to contend with the elements in which it has to look for its sub¬ 
sistence. 
The quail (Cotornix, N. S.) is stiff very abundant upon the 
grassy plains of the interior; at every moment it is met with 
rising close to the foot of the traveller, and it is perhaps the best 
sign that not many dogs exist there, as they would otherwise have 
been already destroyed. But amongst all the birds which I met 
with none is in so great numbers as the weka (Ocydromus Aus¬ 
tralis), belonging to the family Ballidae, and commonly called 
the woodhen. It is found everywhere on the grassy plains and 
