144 
O’DONOGHUE, The Kakapo of N.Z. fu? ocT 
When travelling through the Buller Gorge recently I made the 
acquaintance of a reliable observer, who told me of their large 
colonies existing in certain mountain ranges surrounding the 
famous waterway. 
Parrots as a rule are not noted for dignity and workmanship 
in the matter of nest building, and in this respect the Kakapo is 
no exception. The nest is a rough excavation, with only the 
faintest attempt at linings and comfort. The nest usually con¬ 
tains three or four white eggs, about two inches in length. 
“Kakapo” is the name given to the bird by the Maoris, and 
means “Night Parrot.” As this name has been handed down 
for many generations, it would seem that at least for many 
centuries past, this bird has been possessed of nocturnal habits, 
in all probability was always a nocturnal bird, but still the 
circumstantial evidence mentioned above is quite sufficient to 
lead one to the belief that a wonderful change has come over 
the bird during some ancient period. It is difficult at times to 
reconcile existing conditions with the scientific theories which tell 
us that all flightless birds of to-day were at one time or other, 
away back in the ancient times of their ancestors, possessed of 
full powers of flight; but no such difficulty exists in the case 
of the Kakapo. Here we have a bird feathered in every detail 
like a bird of flight, the rounded full-sized tail, the large, well 
proportioned wings, the short thick legs, and heavy clawed feet, 
all tell us that such a bird was never created to work out its 
destiny on the floor of the forest. In fact, these outstanding 
features alone immediately force us to the conclusion that this 
bird was at one time a flyer, and leave us bewildered at the 
thought that to-day that power has passed. And why? Is it 
because this beautiful bird found no charm in opening its wings, 
and floating from tree to tree, from hilltop to hilltop, and that it 
preferred the heavy drudgery of the cold, inhospitable forest 
floor, to the gay life of the bird on the wing? All these things 
must remain unanswered, and we bow to the mighty powers of 
evolution that leave us pondering over the extraordinary mys¬ 
teries of Nature, whether they are of regeneration, or as in the 
case of the bird under notice, degeneration. 
The Turquoise Parrot on the Nullarbor Plain.-In view 
of the great scarcity of the Turquoise Parrot (Neophema pul - 
chella ), any note as to present-day habitat is of interest. When 
representatives of the Australian Museum were at Ooldea, in 
1921, they secured one young male of this species. Mr. G. A. 
Heumann noted a pair in the same district a little later. In 
answer to inquiry, Mr. A. Bolan, Stationmaster at Ooldea, who 
is a keen naturalist, sends me the following note:—“Regarding 
the Grass Parrot, yes, I have noted a bird answering descrip¬ 
tion—small, living in grass; greenish back, blue face, yellowish 
underneath. I noticed one last year in a donga out on the 
Nullarbor Plain. I remember stopping and having a good 
look, as he was so pretty.”—A. S. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., Taronga 
Park, Sydney. 
