TONGUE OF NESTOR. (After Garrod.)
The members of the genus Nestor are entirely confined to New Zealand, the species of Philip Island (Nestor productus) being now extinct. Their habits, like those of all New Zealand birds, are sufficiently curious, one of them, known as the “Kea” (N. notabilis), actually feeding on raw flesh, as is noticed by Dr. Buller:—“Those that frequent the sheep stations appear to live almost exclusively on flesh. They claim the sheep’s heads that are thrown out from the slaughter-shed, and pick them perfectly clean, leaving nothing but the bones.” An eye-witness described this operation to Dr. Hector as follows:—“Perching itself on the sheep’s head or other offal, the bird proceeds to tear off the skin and flesh, devouring it piecemeal, after the manner of a Hawk; or at other times holding the object down with one foot, and with the other grasping the portion it was eating, after the ordinary fashion of Parrots.” Dr. Buller also mentions instances of tame Parrots devouring their comrades in captivity; but the Kea is the only Parrot known to eat flesh when flying wild.
THE KAKA PARROT (Nestor meridionalis).
This Parrot is best described by the above-named ornithologist in the work on the Birds of New Zealand, to which frequent reference has been made in these pages:—“Sprightly in its actions, eminently social, and more noisy than any other inhabitant of the woods, the Kaka holds a prominent place among our native birds. Being semi-nocturnal in its habits, it generally remains quiet and concealed during the heat of the day. If, however, the sportsman should happen to find a stray one, and to wound instead of killing it, its cries of distress will immediately rouse the whole fraternity from their slumbers, and all the Kakas within hearing will come to the rescue, and make the forest echo with their discordant screams. Unless, however, disturbed by some exciting cause of this sort, they remain in close cover till the approach of the cooler hours. Then they come forth with noisy clamour, and may be seen, far above the tree-tops, winging their way to some favourite feeding-place; or they may be observed climbing up the rough vine-clad boles of the trees, freely using their powerful mandibles, and assuming every variety of attitude, or diligently tearing open the dead roots of the close epiphytic vegetation in their eager search for insects and their larvæ. In the spring and summer, when the woods are full of wild blossom and berry, these birds have a prodigality of food, and may be seen alternately filling their crops with a variety of juicy berries, or sucking nectar from the crimson flowers of the rata (Metrosideros robusta) by means of their brush-fringed tongues. With the earliest streaks of dawn, and while the underwoods are still wrapped in darkness, the wild cry of this bird breaks upon the ear with a strange effect. It is the sound that wakes the weary traveller encamped in the bush; and the announcement of his ever active Maori attendant—‘Kua tangi te Kaka’—is an intimation that it is time to be active. But although habitually recluse during the day, it is not always so.
KAKA PARROT.
“During gloomy weather it is often very active; and sometimes even in the bright sunshine a score of them may be seen together, flying and circling about high above the tree-tops, uttering their loud screams, and apparently bent on convivial amusement. When the shades of evening bring a deeper gloom into the depths of the forest, and all sounds are hushed, save the low hoot of the waking Morepork, or the occasional cheep-cheep of the startled Robin, the Kaka becomes more animated. It may then be heard calling to its fellows in a harsh rasping note, something like the syllables ‘t-chrut, t-chrut,’ or indulging in a clear musical whistle with a short refrain. It is strictly arboreal in its habits, and subsists to a large extent on insects and their larvæ, so that it is probably one of our most useful species. Where they exist in large numbers they must act very beneficially on the timber forests; for in the domain of Nature important results are often produced by apparently trivial agencies. Like all the honey-eaters, while supplying their own wants, they do good service with their brush tongues by fertilising the blossoms of various trees, and thus assisting in their propagation; while, on the other hand, the diligent search they prosecute for insects and grubs, and the countless numbers daily consumed by each individual, must materially affect the economy of the native woods. On this latter point Mr. Potts has furnished the following valuable note:—‘Although so often accused of injuring trees by stripping down the bark, from careful observation we do not believe a flourishing tree is ever damaged by its beak. It is the apparently vigorous, but really unsound, tree that is attacked, already doomed by the presence of countless multitudes of insects of many varieties, of which it is at once the food and refuge, either in their perfect or larval state. In the persevering and laborious pursuit of this favourite food, the Kaka doubtless lends his assistance in hastening the fall of decaying trees; the loosened strips of bark dissevered admit to the exposed wood rain and moisture collected from dews and mists, to be dried by evaporation by the heat of the sun, by the desiccating winds, only to become saturated again. Under this alternation the insidious fungi take root, decay rapidly sets in, the close-grained timber gives place to a soft spongy texture, branches drop off, and gradually the once noble-looking tree succumbs to its fate; but its gradual decay and fall, the work of years, has proved beneficial to the surrounding plants: the dropping of the branches admits light and air to the aspiring saplings, assists in checking the undue spread of lichens and epiphytes; and when the old stem falls, tottering down from its very rottenness, its place is supplied by vigorous successors.’
“In estimating the value of the labours of the Kaka as an insect-eater, it should not be forgotten that the family of Woodpeckers is entirely absent from our bird-fauna, and that upon this indefatigable climber devolves some share of the duty of representing that peculiar group of forest birds. How diligently the insects are sought for by the Kaka may be judged from the heaps of bark chips that lie beneath the decaying trees. Often it may be noticed on the ground tearing away the mossy clothing of the huge gnarled roots that spread around; even the soft rotten boughs are gnawed to obtain the larvæ of some of the larger bush insects.”
The Nestors vary immensely in colour, so that many of the plumages now known to be only occasional varieties have been supposed to be specifically distinct. They are birds of large size, and have the cere, or fleshy portion at the base of the bill, rather strongly developed, the bill being large and powerful. The colour is of an olivaceous brown, with a dash of dark red, the crown grey, and the ear-coverts shaded with orange, the cheeks with dark red, as also are the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts and abdomen.