The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 22, 1900, Page 10

These Queer Qreatlres Have the McSt StranGe Habits of Living. pared to quelities s lacking all the commonly aseo- . But a wingless come as a shock to most people, regards the possession of the teristics of the feathered birfs.” Yet in the beau- of New Zealand thers still “terrible imerous in New e ranged on the plains e was ten or eleven feet » Australian emu African ostrich. ere all distin- y rudimentary which ere useless e, and by ths are scanty on of great length gs ere stout, and med with a long, sharp w, with which a danger- captured young, icated, but the up wild 1s @im- is so strong and y caught. It like its kinsman w anything that beak. The Bouth e same family r characteristics is, or “mos,” as it has become extinct e ere several dimin- es of the genus to The kiwi and the are birds of the moa re “apteryges,” or "he first known specimen of t from Bouth New ain by the captain e, and was pre- sh n-rv'tholo‘fml named died it Became the 7 (afterward the ) and was be- to the British Museum. Museum hed three b, two years later, e Academy of Natural Sci- ja. In 1347 another the distinguished naturalist, fessor Owen. Another species recetved the neme Apteryx Mantelll. These speci- , however, were all dead ones. The kiwi that ever reached England alive ed by Mr. Eyre, then Lieu- t Governor of New Zealand. An- species s named Apteryx Haastii, 1 1l-known naturalist, Ven Haast. JKiwis are of & reddish dark-brown color, striped with light vellowish-brown. They sleep or are inaetive in the daytime, but in the twilight they run about in & very quiet and cautious manner. Their lack Quricus Methods the Bunters Use for Qatching These Freaks. ‘wings is compensated for by :5 fbfl{- Irxde.tf the name “ or swift-runner, has been given to some species. When they run they take long strides, with the neck stretched out and the body leaning forward. When & Kiwi is disturbed In the dayt!me he yawns in a most amusingly bored manner. If provoked the bird raises itself up, and pulling up ono leg, strikes down quickly and with considerable force with its strong, sharp claw. Its sense of touch is highly developed, for while searching for the earth worms which form its principal food it pokes at sverything with the point of its bill, and when it is shut up Ia & cage it taps the bars gently all through the night. In foraging for worms It strikes its beak into the ground and draws the worm out very gt and care- fully. When it has it quite it throws up its head and gulps it down whole The kiwis are the most interesting group of birds mow in existence, and though specimens will probably be pre- served in captivity in zoological the wild ones are almost certainl to extinction. The Maoris of New Zea- land make & good deal of use of the kiwi, eating its flesh for food, tanning the skin into leather and weaving feathers into robes. The flesh, however, may sult & Maorf’s taste, but no white men like it for it is tough and has very littls taste. The Maoris catch the birds with dogs, which start them and then pursus them by scent until a swamp !s reached, where the kiwi tries to bury itself in the mud and is caught. Another method of cap- ture is to light a fire in a wood where kiwis are plentiful. The hunter then imitates the bird's and o lures them up to the fire, the glare of which stupe. fles them, so that they can be easily seized Another very queer bird is the weksa, which Is called the kiwi's friend, from the fact that he Is often in his company. The weka is a rall, of about the nize of a pheasant and of a dark brown color, with red eyes no wings a very short tal It, like the k is extraordirarily ing itive, but is so remarkably quick and clever in its movements that it avoids many of the dangers into which its eager desire to acquire Infermation often leads It. Of so Inquiring a disnosition is it th 1t will enter a traveler's tent and steal hi pots and pans befors the very eyes of their owner. When a coach stops in a lonely spot to chang2 horses it is not at all an uncommen thing for three or fo wekas to come out from the surround grass and bushes znd walk all around and under the coach, getting almost under the feet of the horses and men, yet scuttling oft very rapidly if any one attempts to harm them. The weka is often caught in the following manner: A plece of rag or paper 13 tied to the end of a string and a log or tree is tapped with this at regular intervals. If there are any wekas within hearing two or thres will soon appear, curious to know what causes the strange sound. The man them swings the switch slowly and regularly at arms’ length with his left hand, and when the weka has advanced well within reach he knocks it down with a blow from a stick carried in his right hand. The flesh is eatable, but is 5o oily that unless the bird is skinned at once it becomes rank and unpleasant. The ofl extracted from the flesh i3 good for cuts, wounds and bruises and makes a waterproof dressing for shoes® but, If it is used too frequently it tends to destroy the leather. The weka is still common in the Middle Island of New Zealand, but has become scarce in the North Island. It is found nowhers else in the world. ARTHUR INKERSLEY,