Vol 'i 92 X 4 IV '] O’DONOGHUE, The Kakapo of N.Z. 
143 
Though a Parrot, I have never known the Kakapo to learn 
to talk; its brilliant intellect works in other directions entirely, 
for it never tires of learning new and difficult tricks. In fact, 
it demands special attention from one whom it makes a friend. 
A Kakapo in a bush camp is the life and soul of the lonely 
habitation, and the wonderful and original tricks performed by 
this entertainer are beyond description. On one occasion, when 
exploring the heights of that wonderful rugged cape, located at 
the mouth of the Waitaha River, in Westland, known as Bold 
Head, my party discovered a large male Kakapo basking in the 
warm sand. It was captured after a short chase, and although 
it set up a defence, it was perfectly subdued within half an hour, 
and began to play with its captors—something in the nature of 
cats' play. During the three days it was kept in camp, it was 
persistently looking for excitement and play. The bird is usually 
referred to by the back country settlers as the "Ground Parrot," 
but being a splendid climber it frequently finds its way into the 
tops of the medium sized shrubs and trees. When climbing, 
much use is made of the powerful beak; a half right and left 
method is adopted. 
The food of this quaint bird consists of grasses, berries, seeds, 
leaves, etc., and having secured a good supply during the night 
and early hours of the morning, it takes off to its secluded resting 
place, where the daylight hours are usually spent. 
As a general rule birds of nocturnal habits are feathered in 
some dull, unattractive shading, usually greys and browns, but 
the Kakapo is, among the nocturnal birds of New Zealand, the 
one striking exception to this rule. Does it not seem something 
of a contradiction in the great scheme of Nature, that so brilliant 
a plumage should be called upon to live almost in perpetual ex¬ 
clusion from the light of day? The case of the Kakapo is one 
of those striking examples of the possibility of extraordinary 
changes having been worked in the life of the bird. Its brilliant 
plumage, for instance, immediately suggests that there was a 
time in the history of the bird when its habits were diurnal, when 
it loved to bask and gambol in the bright glistening sunshine, 
when the gorgeous plumage rivalled that of all other birds in 
sending forth a dazzling radiation. Another somewhat convinc¬ 
ing aspect which forces us to the conclusion that a wonderful 
change has taken place, lies in the fact that the shade of the 
green plumage is identical with the predominant shade of the 
mossy vales in which the bird delights to feed, suggesting a pro¬ 
tective coloration. Hence, if it were originally destined for 
nocturnal habits, protective coloration in so marked a degree 
would not be necessary. But why should such a radical change 
have taken place? 
The Kakapo is fairly plentiful throughout the South Island, 
but seems to honour the West Coast as its happiest hunting 
grounds. From the wild bush-clad Sounds in the far South right 
up to the downs and mountains of the Sunny North, in the 
Province of Nelson, colonies of the Kakapo are to be found. 
