The Starlings : The Huia 
97 
shews one of New Zealand’s flightless birds, the kiwi; and the 
shilling stamp, orange-red, also designed by W. R. Book, shows 
a pair of kaka, the noisy brown parrot. The rest of the stamps 
in the series show characteristic views of lake, and mountain, 
and thermal phenomena. 
The bird was occasionally kept in a cage by the Maori, and 
it appeared soon to become reconciled to captivity. The 
white-tipped tail-feathers were greatly valued as ornaments, 
being worn as a plume by chiefs of high rank. A war-plume of 
twelve huia-feathers was known as a mare-reko. The skin 
of the bird, with the tail attached, but the legs and wings 
removed, was dried by the Maori by being pressed between 
two sheets of totara bark, tied round with New Zealand flax, care 
being taken not to soil the tail-feathers. When dry the skin 
was scented with one of the many scents prepared by the 
Maori from native plants, and worn as an ornament, hung 
round the neck or in the ear. The dried heads and bills of 
this and other rare birds were also attached as ornaments to 
various kinds of head-gear. If a newly married man dreamt 
of seeing human skulls decorated with huia feathers, it was 
regarded as an indication that his wife had conceived a 
daughter; kotuku (heron) feathers indicated the conception ot 
a son. 
It should not be forgotten that the Earl of Onslow, Governor 
of New Zealand from 1889 to 1892, urged the preservation ot 
the huia, bell-bird, stitch-bird, robin, and other then rare birds. 
He had named his son Huia; and when he at Otaki on I t 
September, 1891, presented his son to the assembled tribes, 
one of the Maori chiefs said, “There, yonder, is the snow-clad 
Ruahine range, the home of our favourite bird. We ask you 
0 Governor! to restrain the pakehas from shooting it, that 
when your boy grows up he may see the beautiful bird whic i 
bears his name.”—The courteous Maori did not say whose 
name he bears,” though no one but the Maori themse ves 
may have noticed the difference. Protection to the bird was 
granted on 25th February, 1892; but it failed to ward oft i s 
extinction. The Earl also urged the reservation of Li e 
