25 
The Flycatchers 
The beak is usually closed whilst the bird is singing, or no 
opening can be perceived. Once, however, I saw the bird 
utter the whistling pairs of notes, in falling sequence, with 
beak wide open, closing slightly at each drop. I have heard 
the notes, half converted to tweeting, sung by one bird whilst 
flying in playful evolutions with another. 
Maori myth. —I am not sure that it is altogether friendli¬ 
ness that makes the fantail so tame, or whether it is not rather 
sheer curiosity or even pugnacity. A black fantail has been 
seen by Potts (PO, p. 159) “in hot pursuit of a bronze-wing 
cuckoo, driving it screaming, far away from the precincts of 
its home;” and on two occasions, when I have called to fantails 
sitting close by me, they have uttered their rapid tweet tweet 
facing me with mouth agape as they jerked from side to side; 
and it must not be forgotten that when the sea-birds came in 
their great flocks to attack the land-birds, the fantail was the 
first to fly to the assault; for it happened in this way :— 
The saltwater-cormorant in its flight reached Whangape, and 
there found the river-cormorant. The former waited to be 
offered food in vain, and at last said —‘ 1 Friend ! Let us go to 
my home at the salt sea where food is plentiful.” Whereupon 
they set forth and flew to the sea, where the sea-bird dived and 
secured a fish for the river-bird. But the latter sorely wounded 
its throat with the spines of that fish, and said—“Your food is 
not good; that of my home is much better.” “And what is the 
food of your place?” asked the sea-bird. “Eels: which when 
swallowed are smooth and slippery, and do not injure one. I say 
to you, let us go to my place.” 
So off they went, and on their arrival, the land-bird dived 
and secured an eel and gave it to the sea-bird, who first swal¬ 
lowed it, and then brought it up again with the greatest ease. 
Quoth the sea-bird—‘ ‘ 0 friend! yours is indeed an excellent 
place and your food most desirable. Now do you give me a part 
of your domain and I will give you a part of mine in return. 7 7 
“Not so/ 7 said the land-bird, “I do not like your place. 77 “Very 
well, 7 7 replied the sea-bird; ‘ ‘ but ere long I will take your place 
from you. 77 
