THE MOREPORK 155 
The cock bird, whom we had not seen at first, 
now as the nestlings grew older, appeared in the 
vicinity. One particular bough was the chosen 
perch of the fierce old reprobate. There in malig- 
nant reverie, full of vindictive recollections, he 
brooded over insults avenged and daylight wrongs 
redressed at dusk. 
The unfortunate little Kuaka, whose fate has 
often been deplored as existing but to subserve 
another’s need—as the chief food supply of Sea 
Hawk and Seagull—is victimised even by the 
Morepork. Although the manner in which the 
Owl, or perhaps the two Owls, slay their prey 
and afterwards manage to raise such a relatively 
immense weight many feet perpendicularly from 
the ground was not discovered, yet morning after 
morning we found in the nest sometimes one and 
sometimes two newly slain Diving Petrels. At 
first the parent birds rend the flesh from the 
bones, and feed it to their brood, but afterwards 
allow the chicks to help themselves “‘ when so 
dispoged.”” In their al fresco butcher’s shop upon 
or alongside these enormous masses of meat the 
young Owls peacefully repose. 
