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Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 22 May 1912, Page 4

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Home surprise and andibS^D^^^^^|Kii^S{l N ■j back by the Wimmera to Auckland, ■ fcays the Sydney "Herald." Among p the most jnteresting^ajid curious of ' living feathered creaVures,lhe kiwi is becoming exceedingly rare. Not only is it wingless and tailless, not only is it the oddest-looking of all birds; but there are several other remarkable features about the kiwi, For example, it lays an enormous egg, out of . airproportiptfto'the size of its body, ' the males are considerably smaller than the females, and only the males ..fit on the eggs. In these* and, in - other respects, it,constitutes a curiosity ;- in bird-life such as is not anywhere else to be obtained. The birds, which •«Te nocturnal in their habits, live itt^ - the darkest and densest of forests, and; . *at one time were plentiful in all the ; ' wooded portions of New Zealand. In order to save the kiwi from extinction, • the Government has conveyed afcnunvber to, the Little Barrier laiatfd and « other bird sanctuaries, and imposed .;> - heavy,penalties.*, against hunting the birds, rwhile those taking them but of % the Dominion render themselves liable to a fine of £50. Frequent surreptitious attempt's to take the birds away are made, over £200 a-piece having been offered in England fcr live specimens, and thus the four "^secured by the visitor would have.been worth * about £1000 in England^ He states, - however, that he was not,taking them Home for sale, but to liberate on his estate, in order to make a study of their habi^f and to see whether the birds would thrive and multiply under the changed conditions.