. The animals of New Zealand; an account of the dominion's air-breathing vertebrates . flit about inthe trees, always on the move. As each movement is made,they give a peculiar whistle. Of all the birds I saw on the Little Barrier Island when Ivisited that sauctuars^ in February, 1907, none interested memore than the stitch-bird. It is one of the rarest of all the rarebirds of New Zealand. In the palmiest days- of bird-life in thedominion, about thirty years ago, it was often seen, but I donot believe that it can now be found anywhere except on theLittle Barrier. It is not a very shy bird, but
. The animals of New Zealand; an account of the dominion's air-breathing vertebrates . flit about inthe trees, always on the move. As each movement is made,they give a peculiar whistle. Of all the birds I saw on the Little Barrier Island when Ivisited that sauctuars^ in February, 1907, none interested memore than the stitch-bird. It is one of the rarest of all the rarebirds of New Zealand. In the palmiest days- of bird-life in thedominion, about thirty years ago, it was often seen, but I donot believe that it can now be found anywhere except on theLittle Barrier. It is not a very shy bird, but it frequentsinaccessible places in the densely-wooded mountain gorges. Itsgreat raritj^, the interest taken in it by naturalists in all partsof the world, and the large number of quests that have beenmade to obtain specimens of its skin for nuiseums and collectors 112 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND in the Old Country, made me determined to see something of it ifI could. My came only two days before my depar-ture. I went with the members of ]\Ir. R. H. Shakespears family,. stitch Bird : male and female. who reside on the island, for a days walk to the top of one of themountain peaks. At noon, when we were making our way alonga track through the forest on the mountain side, a female stitch-bird, which had evidently come from the heights, fluttered about THE STITCH-BIRD 113 excitedly in the boughs above our heads. The cry sounded likethe words steech, steech, and when this was imitated shecame closer and flew amongst some saplings a few yards her tail erect and almost at right-angles with her body, andher wings drooping, she ran up and down the boughs and turnedround freciuently, as if she was the embodiment of hardly ceased to give the cry, and there were few momentsthat she took her eyes off us. Later on, she was joined by a fewcompanions, all of them females. I was disappointed at notseeing a male stitch-bird, which is an exceptionally handsomebir
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