Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-11-14
The Killing Kea.
Hy GEORGE r. MARINER, FIRMS,
Assistant sioIoKy Canterbury College, Mey Zealand.

|
lizard-like animal. called by the Ma
oris the tuatara, the avifauna claims
them all. The extinct moa, that giant
| of the bird world, is the only bird
| known that has not even vestige of
| wing; the little kiwi itself is al
most wingless, and it Is the only bird
| known that has its nostrils opening-to
| the exterior at the tip Of its long
beak; while among the migratory
birds the godwit holds the record for
| long sea flights, for it flies from New
! Zealand to Siberia and back every
year.
However, OF late years the bird
that has come to the front, owing to
| its strange habits, is the kea. This
mountain parrot (Nestor notabilis) Is
somewhat larger than a pigeon, and
| it's feathers are mostly dark green
edged with black, while under its
wings and on its tail its color is brick
red. It's beak is very strong. and the
upper mandible very much curved.
The bird is confined to the South
Island Of New Zealand, where 1t lives
among the peaks Of the Southern
Alps, which often rise from seven to
over twelve thousand feet in height.
However, 1t does not by any means
always live near the summit of these
snowclad peaks, but is most common
ly found just about the forest limit.
About thirty-eight years ago, a
number of sheep were found torn
about in way that was quite un-
known to the sheep farmers, and so
very close watch was kept. The
result was that several keas were
seen sitting on some sheep and peck
ing at the wool, and at another time
several keas were seen sitting around
a wounded sheep. At once the keas
we're condemned without any further
proof, and the slaughter Of these in
teresting birds which was then COM
menced continues until this day. This
was the first and best instance record
ed of the keas killing sheep, and
when the evidence is sifted there is
no absolute proof at all in the record.
This supposed change Of an in
sectivorous and berry-eating bird to a
bird of prey has been the cause of
long controversy between station
owners and sheep farmers and the
scientific men Of the colony, who
took the part of the kea.
When the writer took up the ques-
ton in 1905, after reading through
all the available records, he could
not find one writer who saw the bird
kill a sheep, nor was the name and
address of any actual eyewitness
given. Not only was the fact Of the
kea's change of habit of scientific
Importance, but the loss of thousands
Of sheep made it essential that the
question should be once and for all
time satisfactorily settled. The
writer then set to work, and collected
written accounts from men who had
actually seen the bird killing and
attacking sheep, and the result Of
this investigation is published in the
Transactions of the New Zealand
Institute 1906.
Great care was taken to make the
evidence authentic, and in each case
the witness had to send in written
statement that he would be willing to
swear to his evidence before justice
of the peace,
The reason why so few people have
ever seen the kea at work seems to
be due to the fact that the killing Is
mostly done at evening or early
morning, at places which men seldom
reach until long after the bird has
finished it's deadly work. Among
my correspondents, over thirty men
have actually seen the kea killing
the sheep. These witnesses do not
consist only Of musterers and shep-
| herds, but in many instances they are
either managers of the sheep stations
| or the stations owners themselves.
| Summing up the different accounts,
! which owing to limits of space can
not be published in full here. the
| BIRDS mode of procedure seems as
| follows: They may attack in ones
| or twos or in numbers, but usually
one or two birds do the killing, and
the others share in the spoil. The
! keas always seem to choose the pick
OF the flock. The bird settles on the
| ground near it's quarry, and after
| hopping around for some time, it
leaps on its prey, usually on the
rump. The movement OF the sheep
may cause it to fall off, but it per-
sists until 1t has firmly perched itself
on the sleeps back. Then the kea
begins its operations by tearing out
the wool with it's powerful beak. s0d
at last gets it's beak into the flesh.
The sheep, which for some time
has been moving uneasily about,
gives jump as the beak pierces the
flesh, and then begins to run wildly
about in vain efforts to rid itself of
| its tormentor When, however, the
| sheep finds it cannot dislodge its
| enemy, it seems to become terrified
with pain and fright, and rushes
blindly about, usually at high
speed, the kea meanwhile holding on
and balancing itself with out
stretched wings. When the beast
| stumbles, the kea rises on its wings,
and settles down again onto the
| the sheep when 1t has regained its
feet. This awful race is continued,
until, bruised by its numerous falls.
utterly exhausted by its death strug-
! giles, the poor animal stumbles to
rise no more, and becomes an easy
| prey to the kea.
1t has always been supposed that
| the kea attacked the sheep for the
sake of the kidneys, and the first
man to dispute this, as far as know,
was Mr.. F. +. G. Huddlestone. DR..
| Alfred Russell Wallace, in his book
apiitIod "Daruipiep, aftor docorih-