186 Bird-Song: and New Zealand Song Birds 
sprays, hopping cockatoo fashion along a branch, then dim hi 
higher with graceful agility; resting for a moment to whistl! 
for his mate and, when she has joined him, expressing his 
pleasure m a sharp chuckling note, like the striking together 
of two quartz pebbles; then, as if suspecting some treachery 
below, he suddenly takes wing with loud cries of ka-ka and 
glides smoothly through the leafy maze. During the nmV 
mg season the two sexes are always together, and when on the 
wing keep side by side, both calling as they go. In the neigh¬ 
bourhood of their nests they have a low call-note, like kilto 
i-t-to, and a very soft whistling cry. Possessing excellent 
powers of mimicry, and useful to the natives as a decoy 
has Its 4okai’.I“ ^ ^ ^ ^ eVery ^ 
I saw several kaka when on Kapiti in 1916-17, but they were 
very quiet. The cry heard was kree-a, as in (1), taking a little 
hILY e r d ’ 0V ^l e - aw - w - w - w - w as in (2), the long drawn aw 
g bi oken as if by momentary stoppages of the breath. 
kree .a kee aw.w.w.w-w 
l Va ^ eY b saw two kaka sitting on a branch, one 
a litt e below the other. The lower bird was seemingly coaxing 
e o ei, with a continual ke he he ke , the four notes repeated, 
_ 0 a second, at. intervals of two or three seconds, leaning 
rpr* 8 mi s ^ Yei ^ n 8‘ b °dy, and spreading its tail at each 
v • -i ,?*!’ lls wen ^ on ^ or several minutes, when the upper 
r • i er ° a PP aren % quite inattentive, seized the lower 
i w ® Upper hlll > seemingly, and shook it. The shaking, 
e J er ’ WaS Pr ° bably due t0 the aet of regurgitationthe bird 
tinmot' /! ' 011 J1 g one, which waved its wings slowly and 
' 1 3 Whmed 3 durin g the shaking. The food was 
niL y y passed into the mouth at the end of each quivering, 
pi ocess was repeated four or five times, the old bird moving 
on te e ranch each time, or flying to a short distance, 
