48 BIRD LIFE ON ISLAND AND SHORE 
nevertheless be formed after prolonged arm’s- 
length intimate acquaintance. Nobody who has 
watched the details of Pukeko housekeeping can 
have failed to appreciate the social kindliness of 
the breed, or at equally close quarters to admire 
the honest enduring hatred towards strangers 
evinced by the Caspian ‘Tern, or to note the 
cold-heartedness of the Pied Cormorant, or the 
humble-minded meekness of the Saddleback, or 
the wickedness of the Harrier, or the cantankerous- 
ness of the Kingfisher. Although, as I say, indi- 
vidual birds differ like individual men, yet each 
species has some trait or another that may be 
fairly termed characteristic. 
Thus it may be that a certain levity in court- 
ship marks the male of the Stitchbird clan. Aiter 
an episode I was unfortunate enough to witness— 
one of those revelations which hurt:the observer 
by tarnishing his ideal,—I could not but ascribe 
sad insincerity to all the cocks. For a long time 
I had been watching one particular bird: he was 
such a splendid specimen, and I did so believe 
the metal must be worthy of the mould—l sup- 
pose I had idealised him, and then—well, he 
committed a shabby action, one, alas! which I 
could not forget. The serenity of the hour was 
gone. I experienced a sort of uneasiness, a sort 
of guiltiness in his presence—I knew something 
of him that he did not know I knew. I feared, 
