I 
zooLoaY. 141 
expanded and almost motionless wings. Perceiving its prey, it 
goes down like an arrow. ’ 
Of moa bones (Dinornis, &c.) I did not observe any, although 
the natives at the mouth of the Grey assured me that in the 
swamps near Lake Hochstetter a good many occur. 
Oi: lizards I found nothing new, the specimens seen and exa- 
mmed having already been collected by me before at other places, 
le principal, and, as I may say, the only, fish of importance in 
le rivers, lakes, and swamps, is the eel. We caught some nearly 
six leet long, and as thick as a man’s thigh, weighing between 
twenty and twenty-five pounds. It is easily caught after dusk. 
U1 their capacity of swallowing we had a striking instance, finding 
m the belly of one of them, not weighing more than twelve pounds, 
an entire blue duck. There are many varieties amongst them, 
ol which I observed two principal ones. The first has a very 
laige head and a small body, and the second a small head and 
a thick body. The first one is, as I have been told, confined 
principally to the swamps, lakes, and upper parts of rivers ; and, 
in fact, nearly all the eels which we caught in the two lakes and 
in the Upper Buller were of that kind; whilst in the Middle 
Buller and Lower Grey the greater part belonged to the second 
species. At several places both kinds occurred together; so that 
it will be impossible to lay down a general rule as to the localities 
which they inhabit. 
They are a very rapacious set. To relate only one case: one of 
my party had cleaned some kakas in a stream, and laid them 
down on a large boulder near its margin. lie turned away for a 
moment, heard a splash, and, looking round, saw a good-sized 
eel, which had taken one of them, and was quickly out of sight. 
Amongst the Mollusca, I think that everything which came 
within my reach round the coast has been collected and described 
already, unless it be a very large Chiton, which is nearly five 
inches long, adhering to the rocks of the Tauperi-kaka cliffs. In 
the pools on the rocky shores, the Haliotis Iris (mutton fish) is the 
principal inhabitant, growing often to a large size. In the same lo¬ 
calities we also find sea-stars (Asterias) and sea-urchins (Echinidse). 
I may add here that many of these rocky pools offered me a 
beautiful insight into the life of the sea anemones (Actiniae). 
Like magnificent flowers, they seem to blossom in the water, 
moving their delicate tentacles to attract prey. Who would 
think that these elegant forms belong to such voracious animals ? 
Around them we meet with little groves of graceful Algae, in different 
colours, the whole enlivened by innumerable mollusks and anne- 
lides; an entire world in a little space; and it was often with 
great regret that I continued my journey, leaving these spots, 
which would be, for the naturalist who could devote his time to 
their examination, a source of delight and instruction. 
The kuku (mytilus canaliculatus) , the mussel, is also very 
