THE KEA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7958, 8 February 1906, Page 3

THE KEA.

(Contributed). A great diversity of opinion is often expressed "as to the sheep-kill-ing propensities of this bird, which without a doubt, belongs to the parrot tribe of berry and insect-eating birda. But there is no getting away from the fact that the kea destroys so many sheep annually that most people would say it was incredible. With the large numbers of birds ahot of late years the number of sheen lost by the kea's depredations lias been greatly lessened. Still on some of the higher ranges of country surrounding Lakes Wakatipu and Wanaka the kea is still plentiful. Where practically undisturbed they commit then depredation with impunity. Having had an opportunity of studying the habits of the kea, and having destroyed a good few of them, I can vouch for the fact that a kea is quite an expert in the art of sheep killing. Watch those two old birds out at break of day on the mountain toDs, in quest of their quarry; a mob of sheep are resting completely unconsoious of anything likely to disturb them before breaking their camp; swiftly and silently the keas hover over their hapless prey, and selecting, as a rule, two of the primest in the mob, down the birds pounce, and lodge themselves securely with their sharp claws on the sheep's back. Then the scruggle begins, for the sheep frantically leaps and bounds and dashes orer the rough gullies trying in vain to shake off its cruel persecutor, who is desperately pioking a hole in the sheep's back, perforating the flesh with its sharp, knife-like, beak, until the ktdney of the sheep is reached. The poor sheep is then at the mercy of the kea. Then the repast begins, in which, as a rule, a number of young birds join, who have been following in the wake of the chase, and have »ot as yet acquired enough proficiency to kill their own mutton. Should the kea-hunter be fortunate enough to drop uDon a gathering of birda, as I have described, quite a little rise can b« made, for the young birda will rather court death than be robbed of their prey, and will hover around the carcase in spite of the constant banging of the kea-huntera' fowling piece. I have known as many as fifteen keas to have been shot while devouring a sheep. Three shillings per head used to be given thee by the Sheep Associations for keas. Poisoning by strychnine has had to be resorted to by runholders in the kea infested country. When a sheep is killed and smeared with the poison, and deposited in a paddock, as many as 45 keas have been found dead next morning around the carcase. Poisoned sheep seldom allure the older birds, who prefer to bunt and kill the animals "themselves. I have always held the opinion that it is not hunger that •brought about this remarkable departure of an insectivorous and fruit-eating species of birds to adoDt carnivorous habits; but a developed delight, through some unaccountable reason or cause, of the kea|to hunt and sheep. The hill shepherds on some of the stations have often oome across uneaten carcases of the kea-killed sheep, with only the tell-tale hole on the back to show as to how they met their death.