The Cuckoos : The Shining Cuckoo 
167 
The domed hanging nest of the riroriro is the one most 
favoured by the cuckoo; and as the opening to this nest is in 
the side, and is too small for the entrance of the larger bird, 
she lays her egg on the ground or on the stump of a tree, and 
carries it, either in her beak or in her claws, and inserts it in 
the nest. Stowell writes that the act has been observed: '‘the 
Maori has frequently seen the ’wharauroa at this work. For 
about eight months in the year the Maori roamed the bush 
weekly and even daily—for bird, berry, and root foods. His 
work unlike that of the noisy bang, bang, fowling piece of 
these days—was silent work. The snaring and spearing of 
birds was a quiet process. For days together the Maori would 
be perched on a tree from which he could see everything that 
was going on about him. He saw the ’wharauroa select its 
nest and proceed, sometimes, to toss out the true eggs, with 
its bill. It sometimes crushed them in doing so, and sometimes 
ate them. It laid its own egg either on a stump, the barrel 
of a prone tree, or on the leafy ground. It then took the egg, 
at times in its bill and at times in its claws,—and put it into 
the nest. It worked silently and quickly, and sometimes 
remained concealed in the vicinity as if to see what the riro- 
riros would do with its egg. I never heard the Maori say that 
the riroriro or other foster-mother tossed the intruding egg 
out of the nest, so I conclude that they were never known to 
do so. Neither have I heard of the bvharauroa coming back 
to assist in feeding its chick.”—(Manuscript). 
Whilst this may be so as regards the long-tailed cuckoo, it 
is possible that the shining cuckoo may, at least occasionally, 
lay in the nest itself,—for I have been assured that she has been 
seen tearing the opening until large enough to admit her; and 
that the warblers, on returning to the violated nest, have 
repaired the injury so effectively that no trace of the injury 
remained;—so that had the cuckoo’s egg been found after the 
repairs had been effected, it would have been supposd that 
the egg had been inserted into the nest, and not laid there. 
The egg of the shining cuckoo is described by Potts (Tr., Yol. 
2 , 1870, p. 65), as elliptical in form, pale greenish-dun in colour, 
