The Parrots : The Kaka 
187 
and sitting apart for a minute or so, the young one remaining 
the whole time in the one place. Both birds, when separated, 
scraped the sides of their beaks on the branch, the young one 
also opening and shutting its beak and working its throat as 
if swallowing. After a time the parent bird flew off; and the 
young one seemed to know it was for good, as it shuffled off 
and was hidden in the foliage. A reading of Guthrie-Smith’s 
book already quoted will shew how seldom the callow young 
may be seen fed; and I have seen no description of a fledged 
young one being fed away from the nest. There was no 
appreciable difference in the size of these two birds. 
The kaka was a great favourite with the Maori; partly 
because he was a good bird for the larder, partly on account 
of his noisy, cheerful hilarity. He kaka waha nui, “A noisy 
mouthed parrot” (GK, p. 15, and later Tr., Yol. 12, 1880, p. 127) 
was a proverb applied to a silly talkative fellow, or to a boaster; 
and again, He kuku ki te kainga, he kaka ki te haere —“A pigeon 
at home, a kaka abroad”' (Tr., Yol. 12, 1880, p. 129) ;—a proverb 
explaining itself when it is known that the pigeon is a silent 
bird, sitting quietly in the lofty trees, whilst the kaka, ever 
flying or moving about, is a noisy screamer. One proverb com¬ 
mends his leisurely feeding,— He kaka kai honihoni, —“A kaka 
eats leisurely, bit by bit,” (Tr., Yol. 12, 1880, p. 121),—applied 
to a person who eats moderately and slowly. One proverb 
refers to the 0 carried by the kaka—the piece of bark, or pebble, 
mentioned when speaking of the 0 of the cuckoo:— He 0 kaka, — 
“An 0 of the kaka” (GK, p. 22), meaning carry no more food 
with you on your journey than the kaka carries in his claw;— 
Grey explaining that the Maori said the kaka carries in its claws 
a small pebble, picked up on the coast, which it constantly nibbles. 
The kaka apparently had no great sympathy with the morning- 
concert of the other birds, and often put a stop to it with his 
harsh shrill note when he thought they had sung long enough 
(TI, p. 404). Stowell says that the birds, if the concert were 
drawing near the end, would always stop on the kaka crying out, 
as much as to say ‘ ‘ Have your own way. 7 7 The Maori has a 
saying that the kaka never alights on a maire tree (TI, p. 404). 
