CHAPTER III.
HAUNTS AND HABITS.
Mountain lilies shine
Far up against the snow,
And ratas twine
On the wooded slopes below.
Rata and clematis
Sweet as bush may hold;
While honey-loving wild birds kiss
The kowhai’s cup of gold.
—Mary Colborne-Veel.
It is a well established fact that the Kea is found in the mountainous regions of the South Island of New Zealand; but whether it lives among the snow-capped peaks and glaciers, or lower down near the forest line, is a question that has not so far been satisfactorily answered.
So much romance has surrounded the bird since its discovery that it is difficult to get people to come down to the sober facts of the case. So popular has it become to describe the Kea as the solitary denizen of the lonely snow-bound alpine peaks, that even some of our present-day scientists, without taking the trouble to ascertain its real habits, prolong the popular erroneous belief that the Kea dwells only amid ice and snow.
A recent book states that it lives “up in the mighty mountains where the snow never melts and men seldom go: sometimes it is driven from its stronghold and is compelled to seek food at lower elevations.”
Another writer describes the bird as living “far above the dwarf vegetation . . . . in a region often shrouded with mists and driving sleet.”
The Kea may often be seen soaring among the silent snow-capped heights; yet it by no means spends most of its there, but is more frequently found at lower levels.
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