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Ernst Dieffenbach (Travels in N. Zealand, ii. 194), from some of its tail-feathers obtained by him, and he suggested that it was one of the Cuculidae, possibly belonging to the genus Centro pus, but he added that it was becoming scarce, and that no example had been seen for many years. G. R. See also:

Gray, noticing it in See also:

JUNE

June 1845 (Zool. Voy. " See also:

EREBUS

Erebus" and " Terror," pt. ix. p. q), was able to say little more of it, but very soon after-wards a skin was received at the British Museum, of which, in the following See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September, he published a figure (Gen. Birds, pt. xvii.), naming it Strigops2 habroptilus, and rightly placing it among the parrots, but he did not describe it technically for another eighteen months (Prot. Zool. Society, 1847, p. 61).

Many specimens have now been received in See also:

EUROPE

Europe, so that it is represented in most museums, and several examples have reached See also:

England alive. In habits the kakapo is almost wholly nocturnal,3 hiding in holes (which in some instances it seems to make for itself) under the roots of trees or rocks during the See also:

day See also:

time, and only issuing forth about sunset to seek its See also:

food, which is solely See also:

VEGETABLE

vegetable in See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind, and consists of the twigs, leaves, seeds and fruits of trees, grass and See also:

FERN (from O. Eng. fearn, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch varen, and Ger. Farn; the Indo-European root, seen in the Sanskrit parna, a feather, shows the primary meaning; cf. Gr. rmep6 , feather, rTepis, fern)

fern roots—some observers say mosses also. It some-times climbs trees, but generally remains on the ground, only using its comparatively See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short wings to See also:

BALANCE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. bilantia, an apparatus for weighing, from bi, two, and lanx, a dish or scale)

balance itself in See also:

RUNNING

running or to break its fall when it drops from a See also:

tree—though not always then—being apparently incapable of real See also:

FLIGHT

flight. It thus becomes an easy See also:

PREY (0. Fr. preie, mod. proie, Lat. praeda, booty, from prae and the root hed—seen in prehendere, prendere, to grasp)

prey to the marauding creatures—See also:

CATS, JACOB (1577-1660)

cats, rats and so forth —which See also:

EUROPEAN

European colonists have, by See also:

accident or See also:

DESIGN (Fr. desiin, drawing; Lat. designare, to mark out)

design, let loose in New Zealand. See also:

Sir G. See also:

Grey says it had been, within the memory of old See also:

PEOPLE

people, abundant in every See also:

PART

part of that See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country, 2 This generic See also:

TERM

term was subsequently altered by See also:

Van der Hoeven, rather pedantically, to Stringops, a spelling now generally adopted. ' It has, however, been occasionally observed abroad by day; and, in captivity, one example at least is said to have been as active by day as by night. but (See also:

writing in 1854) was then found only in the unsettled districts. The kakapo is about the See also:

SIZE

size of a See also:

RAVEN (O.E. hrafn, ,Icel. hrafn, Dan. ravn, Du. raaf, Ger. Rabe)

raven, of a See also:

green or brownish-green See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, thickly freckled and irregularly barred with dark See also:

brown, and dashed here and there with See also:

LONGITUDINAL

longitudinal stripes of See also:

LIGHT

light yellow. Examples are subject to much variation in colour and shade, and in some the See also:

LOWER

lower parts are deeply tinged with yellow. Externally the most striking feature of the bird is its See also:

head, armed with a powerful See also:

BEAK (early forms beke and becke, from Fr. bec, late Lat. beccus, supposed to be a Gaulish word; the Celtic bec and beq, however, are taken from the English)

beak that it well knows how to use, and its See also:

FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face clothed with hairs and elongated feathers that sufficiently resemble the See also:

PHYSIOGNOMY

physiognomy of an owl to justify the generic name bestowed upon it. Of its See also:

INTERNAL

internal structure little has been described, and that not always correctly.

Its furcula has been said (Prot. Zool. Society, 1894, p. S94) to be " lost," whereas the clavicles, which in most birds unite to form that See also:

bone, are See also:

PRESENT

present, though they do not meet, while in like manner the bird has been declared (op. cit., 1867, p. 624, See also:

note) to furnish among the Carinatae " the only apparent exception to the presence of a See also:

KEEL

keel " to the sternum. The keel, however, is undoubtedly there, as remarked by See also:

BLANCHARD, SAMUEL LAMAN (1804-1845)

Blanchard (See also:

Ann. Nat. Sc., Zoologie, 4th See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series, vol. xi. p. 83) and A. Milne See also:

Edwards (Ois. See also:

FOSS, EDWARD (1787-1870)

Foss. de la See also:

France, ii. 516), and, though much reduced in size, is nearly as much See also:

DEVELOPED

developed as in the See also:

DODO (from the PortugueseDhudo, a simpleton)

Dodo and the See also:

OCYDROME

Ocydrome.

The aborted See also:

CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition of this See also:

PROCESS

process can hardly be regarded but in connexion with the incapacity of the bird for flight, and may very likely be the result of disuse. There can be scarcely any doubt as to the propriety of considering this genus the type of a See also:

SEPARATE

separate See also:

FAMILY

family of Psittaci; but whether it stands alone or some other forms (Pezoporus or Geopsittacus, for example, which in coloration and habits present some curious analogies) should be placed with it, must await future determination. In captivity the kakapo is said to show much intelligence, as well as an affectionate and playful disposition. Unfortunately it does not seem to See also:

SHARE (O. Eng. scearu, chiefly in compounds, e.g. land-scearu, a share of land, from sceran to cut; cf. " shear" )

share the See also:

LONGEVITY

longevity characteristic of most parrots, and none that has been held in confinement appears to have See also:

long survived, while many succumb speedily. For further details see See also:

Gould's Birds of See also:

AUSTRALIA

Australia (ii. 247), and Handbook (ii. 539) ; Dr Finsch's See also:

Die Papageien (i. 241), and Sir See also:

Walter See also:

Buller's Birds of New Zealand especially. (A..

End of Article: KAKAPO

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