Dunedinites had rare fun in hunting him up Maclaggan-street and towards the Leith. The native rat, as voracious and destructive as his successor, the Norwegian, and the poor little harmless lizard, now nearly extinct, were the only quadrupeds.
The birds were plentiful and various in species and families, from the little Wax Eye, Tauhou (Zosterops), the sprightly Wren (Xenicus), the homely Robin (Petroeca), the fantastic Fantail, Piwakawaka (Rhipidura), the gregarious Ground Lark, Pihoihoi (Anthus), the familiar Kingfisher, Kotare (Halcyon); then the Parson Bird, Tui (Prosthemadera) with its white feather bands dangling from its throat, the best of our mimics, but very averse to being confined; along with the Bell Bird, Moki (Anthornis) pealing forth its rich notes through the woody depths, responded to by the faint "coo" of the Wood Pigeon, Kuku (Carpophaga), which in greatest wonderment at the noise, made no attempt to fly any distance to be out of range of the fowler; the Paradise Duck, Putangitanga (Casarca), the drake adopting curious stratagems to direct attention from his brood of young; the Grey Duck, Parera (Anas), the most appreciated of native birds for the table, flocked plentifully around; the Wattled Crow, Kokako (Glaucopis), which selected Mount Cargill as a favourite residence; and relieving the watches of the night the Laughing Owl, Whekau (Athene), which has altogether disappeared along with its principal staff of support, the native rat, and its smaller relative the Morepork, Ruru, with which every early settler was so familiar from its peculiar cry which conferred on it its name, as well as from its occasional habit of sharing his residence; the since proved destructive Parakeet, Kakariki (Platycercus), and Kaka (Nestor) had not then the grain or fruit which civilization introduced to feed on and destroy, revelled on the insects and blossom designed for them by Nature; a lone Heron, Kokuku (Ardea) in its snow-white plumage might be seen diligently fishing for eels or other small fish on the sedgy streams, whilst the Woodhen, Weka (Ocydromus) with its thievish propensities willingly appropriated whatever attracted its notice, and earned for itself the reputation of being the connecting link between the bird and the mammal, a rudely formed notion having arisen that there were no male birds, the hens dropping sucklings; and then of more honest disposition the Swamp Turkey, Pukeko
