Vol 'i 924 1V '] WILKINSON, Birds of Tararuas, N.Z.. 
129 
perched on a branch. When found in the daylight they are 
easily caught, and often have I snared one with a bootlace on 
the end of a stick. I remember seeing a few years ago four 
of these birds after mice. A chaffcutting gang was working, 
and finished the last stack about half an hour after dark. The 
birds had evidently been accustomed to come to the stacks after 
mice. As usual when a set of stacks is being cut the mice make 
for the stack that is left. Consequently, when the last one is 
cut, there are hundreds of mice, which scuttle in all directions. 
On this occasion there were four Moreporks, and they were 
catching the mice wholesale, and so intent were they that they 
took no notice of the engine or of the men that were busy packing 
up the gear for the night. Mice could be heard squeaking in 
every direction. 
H emiphaga novcc-zealandicc . Pigeon.—One of the handsomest 
birds we have, of which the Tararuas, like other parts of the 
country contained great numbers. Although still to be seen 
singly or in pairs, I am afraid it is often shot. It is very fond 
of the berries of the Miro tree (Podocarpas ferruginea ), and 
when these berries are ripe, numbers of Pigeons can be found 
on them. In a good season the birds, when feeding on Miro 
berries get very fat, and seemingly stupid, and anyone can stand 
under these trees with a pea-rifle and shoot them down; the 
birds being too lazy or stupid to fly away at the report of the 
rifle. They will remain in the tree until all are shot, taking no 
more notice than just cocking the head to one side when one 
of their unfortunate companions tumbles to the ground. Mr. 
Guthrie Smith, of Tutira, Hawkes Bay, in his interesting book, 
“Birds of the Water, Wood, and Waste,” of which I am the 
proud possessor of a Gopy, gives an admirable account of the 
nesting habits of this bird. I have not had the pleasure of find¬ 
ing the Pigeon’s nest 
Phalacrocorax carbo. Black Shag.—This much-persecuted 
bird is occasionally seen flying up and down the rivers. There 
were several shaggeries of this fine bird on different parts of 
the ranges, but most of them have been destroyed. 
Phalacrocorax brevirostris. White-throated Shag.—This Shag 
is sometimes seen right back in the ranges. On a recent excur¬ 
sion we found a shaggery of eight nests all containing young in 
various stages of plumage, some nearly ready to fly. This colony 
was situated over a deep pool of water on the side of a very 
steep cliff in one of the roughest gorges quite 25 miles from 
the sea. The nests were built on the branches of a Karamu 
(Coprosma lucida), which grew straight from the cliff. Unless 
discovered by fishermen, who see in every Shag a supposed 
enemy to their interests, this shaggery is quite safe, as the situa¬ 
tion is too rough for most people to travel. 
Atias superciliosa. Grey Duck.—I have often seen this Duck 
on the mountain streams, sometimes a single bird, but more 
often in pairs. On several occasions I have seen a pair with 
