Page:The Kea, a New Zealand problem (1909).pdf/48

44 of politeness—not with avidity. He declines the honey out of the white and crimson koromiko (Veronica sp.), but Mr. King [one of her Keas] used to love the flowers of V. huthiana and V. Fairfieldii only next best to yellow kowhai, to which he was as nearly devoted as to broad-leaf flowers. Even when no flowers were out on the broad-leaf he could always be found busy pecking at the bark of the branches, but I could never find out what he got there. He disliked five-fingered Jack in seed, but patronised the flowers, and was fond of nipping off branches of it. There is a tall umbrella tree, with Parsonsia climbing over it, up which he often spent a very busy hour or two in spring, though I can’t say what he



was sucking. He never cared to go up at any other season. Cabbage trees (Cordyline), matipos (Pittosporum), birches, rangioras (Bachyglottis rangiora), miki-miki (Cyathodes acerosa), and New Zealand holly (Olearia ilicifolia) were never interfered with, nor was Libertia grandiflora, but he always made a dart for the mountain lily (Ranunculus Lyallii) and daisies (Celmisia sp.), roots as soon as ever he was out of his cage. Mr King never interfered with the English trees except one oak, and he never could resist cherry trees when the fruit was ripe. Lettuces ranked next in favour to dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) roots, of which he was very fond, I think because they reminded him of Maori onions (Bulbenifera sp.), as he