Identifier: animalsofnewzeal00hutt (find matches)
Title: The animals of New Zealand; an account of the dominion's air-breathing vertebrates
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Hutton, Frederick Wollaston, 1836-1905 Drummond, James, 1869-1940
Subjects: Zoology Birds
Publisher: Christchurch, N. Z., Whitcombe and Tombs
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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noiselessly, says Mr. Potts; itseldom appears to be hurried, but floats calndy in ascending-circles, with its wings so apparently motionless that it might besaluted as the albatross of the plains. Its course, unlike that ofthe falcon, is generally circuitous. In its mode of pouncing on its prey, he adds, it disclosespeculiar craftiness. It will pretend to pass over its victim, thensuddenly turn, wheel, and rush noiselessly to the ground. Itplucks its spoil carefully, and picks the bones clean. It has oftenbeen known to capture large birds, such as turkeys, and it haseven attacked a weak lamb. Offal and garbage are its principalfoods. One of its chief delights is to ransack a ducks nest,robbing and eating the eggs. Lizards, cicadas, grasshoppers. 164 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND crickets, and other insects, as well as rabbits, rats, and mice, arealso on its bill of fare. The harrier is not courageous. It has been beaten by thefalcon, the oyster-catcher, and the gull, and has been chased
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The Harrier. away by a i)air of Australian magpies. When the great harrierventures near the nesting-place of the little bush-hawks, it isfuriously assailed. The bush-hawks utter a kind of neighingscream, and both male and female generally unite to beat off the THE HARRIER 165 intruder. Circling above their foe, they swoop upon him, andthe harrier, hard pressed, turns completely over on to his back,stretching out in defence his terrible talons. Mr. T. W. Kirkonce saAv a harrier attacked and badly beaten by a flock ofsparrows, at a spot between Featherston and Martinborongli. Heheard an unusual noise, as if all the small birds in the countryhad joined together in one great quarrel. Looking up, he sawa harrier, which was being buffeted by sparrows. They werethere in hundreds, and they dashed at the harrier in scores, andfrom all points at once. The unfortunate hawk was quite power-less. He seemed to have no heart left, as he did not attempt toretaliate, and his defence was very feeble. A

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