Vo, 'i024 lV ' ] MONCRIEFF, Birds of I Tost Coast, N.Z. 
63 
From Hokitika onwards bird life became increasingly plentiful. 
To our delight, after passing a mining settlement, a pair of 
Parakeets flew right low over the car as we turned a corner. 
Again, owing to the sudden encounter and the bright light, we 
were unable to distinguish their plumage. It would appear that 
at this time of the year they frequent the open country, as each 
time we noticed them in places where the bush had been cleared. 
On Lake Ianthe we saw Black Teal (Puligula novcc-seelandicc ), 
Grey Duck (Anas superciliosa ), and more especially a pair of 
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus ). These birds are said 
to-be becoming rare, but we usually saw a couple or more on each 
big lake. It would appear in this case that the male is more 
curious than the female, as, after inspecting us closely, the Grebe 
went off to fetch his mate, and we thus were able to compare 
the two. To a person who has never seen them before their crests 
and marvellous diving powers are unfailing sources of interest. 
We did not see them with young on their backs. 
For the first time we sighted a. pair of Yellow-breasted 'Pits 
('Myiomoira macrocephala). 
The country round the Glacier must have in the early days 
been a wonderful neighbourhood for birds. The days when one 
saw Kiwis and Woodhens is past, but one can still see Kea 
(Nestor notabilis ) about the Glacier, and Kakas occasionally. 
In Summer one can usually hear the latter whistling and screech¬ 
ing in the bush at sunset. It is interesting that wherever we 
went we were greeted with the same answer, “The Woodhens 
used to be here, but they have not been seen for ages”; and yet 
the Woodhens (Galliralhis hectori) are on the Dun Mountain 
above Nelson, and even occasionally come into the town. This 
should be a good advertisement for bird sanctuaries, as the bush 
behind the town is strictly preserved. It is only recently since the 
birds have been protected that the Woodhens have reappeared. 
The too-confiding Kea will enter the hut where the tourists 
spend the night 4000ft. above sea level. He will examine their 
belongings, and is not averse to removing their shoes if they have 
the temerity to leave them on the.floor on retiring to rest. An¬ 
other playful trick is to push over the shoes and stockings placed 
on the wall to dry. To see them disappear into space appeals to 
the Kea’s sense of humour. With confidence in the kindness of 
man they ingratiate themselves in the hearts of those who see 
them, and it is with horror that one learns that six shillings is the 
price paid for their beaks. At the foot of the Glacier we found 
three dead birds lying where they had been flung, their lovely 
feathers raised as if in protest at the barbarism of man. Those 
quaint birds, beloved of the guides, are slaughtered whenever 
possible, because of the statement that they kill the sheep. One 
gentleman, speaking against them, described in moving terms the 
slopes running with blood of the Kea's victims. The strange part 
about it all is that no proof has ever been brought forward to 
conclusively show that the Kea does all these heinous things. One 
