Vol 'i 924 IV '] WILKINSON, Birds of Tararuas, N.Z. 
121 
From the top of Mount Holdsworth, which can be reached 
from Masterton in about six hours, a glorious view of the sur¬ 
rounding country is obtained, all the Wairarapa Plains, from 
Palliser Bay to the Puketoi Ranges, and the sea beyond Castle 
Point can be seen. On the western side the snow-clad Kaikouras 
in the South Island and the hills about Pelorus and Queen Char¬ 
lotte Sounds up to Durvilles and Stephens Islands stand out 
quite clearly. 
Away over beyond these again, to the west, the hills about 
Collingwood up to Cape Farewell are in sight, if the day is clear, 
while almost at one’s feet, and looking as though it was only a 
chain or so from the mainland (the channel is three miles wide) 
is Kapiti Island, famous as the home of that great Maori war¬ 
rior Te Rauparaha, and the centre of the whaling industry in 
New Zealand in the good old days. 
This island is now one of our bird sanctuaries, where birds 
rare on the mainland can be seen, thanks to those bird-lovers 
who have worked so assiduously for this laudable purpose. 
In a north-westerly direction Mount Egmont, about 135 miles 
away, can be seen quite distinctly. In December and January 
the tops of the ranges are covered with beautiful wild flowers, 
and present a lovely picture to anyone who cares to get out into 
the open. . 
The Tararuas were the home of that very rare and interesting 
bird—the Huia—now nearly, if not quite, extinct. Wekas, 
Robins and Crows were also plentiful on these ranges 25 or 30 
years ago. 
The last authentic record of Iluias being seen on these moun¬ 
tains was provided by Mr. W. W. Smith, R.A.O.U., who saw 
three on Mount Holdsworth 18 years ago. Quite recently reports 
have come in from various sources of Huias having been seen. 
None of these reports, however, has been supplied by a competent 
bird observer. . 
I have to thank my friend, Mr. R. H. D. Stidolph, R.A.O.U., 
for many hints. He has accompanied me on all my week-end 
trips about the ranges, and by his careful observations of the 
habits of our native birds assisted me considerably. 
To Captain E. V. Sanderson, R.A.O.U., I am also indebted. 
Through him I spent Christmas Week, 1923, on the western side 
of the Tararuas, hunting for Huias, and again in February last 
I spent an enjoyable week with him and his party on another 
search after these interesting birds. 
The nomenclature used in these few notes is mainly from 
Hutton and Drummond’s “Animals of New Zealand.” 
Pseudogerygone igata. Grey Warbler.—This little bird is seen 
and heard all day long in the ranges, and is one of the first birds 
to be met. Its nest is rather hard to find in the thick bush, 
and although I have spent much time hunting for them, I have 
found only one on the mountains. It was situated in a Tawa 
(Beilschmicdia tawa), 17 feet from the ground, and contained 
